# Aus set to get convicted criminal elected to senate **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 2, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960 "2016-07-02T22:32:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/1 "2016-07-02T22:32:53Z")
We’ve just had an election, and the senate votes won’t be counted for a while. but predictions are that Darryn Hinch (“the human headline”) will get elected. Because (1) He’s not either of the main parties. (2) He’s got the first spot on the ballot paper. (3) There is a massive swing against the main parties. Daryn, like many stupid people who serve time in prison, is a strong believer in long or infinte prison sentences for the “real” criminals. And, like many stupid people who serve time in prison, he doesn’t count himself in that catagory. We’ve already got a problem with stupid people and populist governments spending more and more money on sending people to prison. This F-ing A- is dedicated to make it worse. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/2 "2016-07-02T22:43:24Z")
Wait, I thought **all** Aussies were criminals. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/3 "2016-07-02T23:04:24Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > We’ve just had an election, and the senate votes won’t be counted for a while. but predictions are that Darryn Hinch (“the human headline”) will get elected. > > Because (1) He’s not either of the main parties. (2) He’s got the first spot on the ballot paper. (3) There is a massive swing against the main parties. > > Daryn, like many stupid people who serve time in prison, is a strong believer in long or infinte prison sentences for the “real” criminals. And, like many stupid people who serve time in prison, he doesn’t count himself in that catagory. > > We’ve already got a problem with stupid people and populist governments spending more and more money on sending people to prison. This F-ing A- is dedicated to make it worse. It’s Derryn. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/4 "2016-07-02T23:42:50Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Daryn, like many stupid people who serve time in prison, is a strong believer in long or infinte prison sentences for the “real” criminals. And, like many stupid people who serve time in prison, he doesn’t count himself in that catagory. Having never heard of Mr. Human Headline, I had to wonder what the heck he served time for. Robbery? Assault? Murder? Nah, according to Wikipedia it was contempt of court for outing sex criminals. Which apparently is a no-no under Australian law, but it hardly makes him Public Enemy #1. Derwood seems like a nice, self-effacing chap. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/5 "2016-07-03T01:51:24Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Having never heard of Mr. Human Headline, I had to wonder what the heck he served time for. Robbery? Assault? Murder? > > Nah, according to Wikipedia it was contempt of court for outing sex criminals. > > Which apparently is a no-no under Australian law, but it hardly makes him Public Enemy #1. > > Derwood seems like a nice, self-effacing chap. 🙂 Did his hard time at the Morwell River Prison Farm. > **[HM Prison Morwell River](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Morwell_River)** > > A nursery and workers camp was established by the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) in 1949 at Olsens Bridge at the head of the Morwell River, which is just east of Boolarra in Victoria. > The nursery was established to grow mountain ash seedlings for the Strzelecki Ranges reforestation scheme. > The scheme, which began in the early 1930s, ran quietly and successfully for nearly 60 years and is believed to have been the largest and most sustained reforestation project of its type in Australia. ... ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/6 "2016-07-03T02:16:39Z")
Crap … even Australia got Trumped … another vote to dump the _status quo_? Lyndon LaRouche ran his 1992 Presidential campaign from his prison cell … I see no problem with this. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/7 "2016-07-03T02:19:50Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Having never heard of Mr. Human Headline, I had to wonder what the heck he served time for. Robbery? Assault? Murder? > > Nah, according to Wikipedia it was contempt of court for outing sex criminals. > > Which apparently is a no-no under Australian law, but it hardly makes him Public Enemy #1. His “crimes” are why I’m glad he got elected. Allowing the judicial branch to make it illegal to tell anyone that they kept letting a serial rapist out of prison until he ended up killing one of his victims is obscene. The magistrates betrayed the public’s trust, a woman died for it, and they do not deserve to keep that quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/8 "2016-07-03T02:23:26Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > His “crimes” are why I’m glad he got elected. … I don’t really care for Mr Hinch, but yes, his crimes are crimes of conscience, where he was doing what he thought was the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/9 "2016-07-03T05:03:57Z")
In fact, I’d say they were clearly a form of civil disobedience. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/10 "2016-07-03T10:28:04Z")
While I don’t always agree with Mr Hinch, I don’t think what did was necessarily morally wrong and I personally wouldn’t categorise him as a “criminal” for it. It’s not like he held up a bank or killed someone or did any of the other unpleasant things most people associate with the word. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aus-set-to-get-convicted-criminal-elected-to-senate/758960/11 "2016-07-03T17:08:49Z")
If he’s a “convicted criminal” the same way Martha Stewart is, I’d vote for him.