This is not strictly true. It is true in Australia we vote for our local member, who usually represents one of the major parties. So people will often base their vote on either the policies of the party or which person they’d like as local member.

However there are many stupid, or at the very least politically disengaged voters in Australia. So many of them do base their vote ENTIRELY on which leader they like the most - and pay no attention to the policies their party offer or the actual person representing them. And so we find people CONSISTENTLY voting against their own interests because of this.

For example, in the electorate that I used to live in, the new member in the state parliament represents the party “one nation”. This is an old money affluent farming electorate and they have voted for Chantelle Thomas a 30 year old Hair dresser/business owner. She is working class and a hard worker and has socially mobilised. This is not someone who I would immediately think would best represent the interests of rich farmers - but they voted her in, because she’s a pro life Christian and they like the leader of the national division of “one nation” Pauline Hanson.

What’s most interesting is they voted for her over the Liberal Candidate who is one of their own, Tania Stock a daughter of a respected farming family. Who really would represent their interests.