Democracy sausages are an election tradition unlike any other

When Australians go to the polls on Saturday to decide who will govern the country for the next three years the smell of democracy will be in the air, and it will smell very much like a sausage sizzle.

Having a barbecued snagger in bread, along with lashings of tomato sauce, has become a national tradition linked to elections.

For many community groups and schools it provides a ready opportunity to fundraise with crowds guaranteed to be sprayed with the scent of onions and sound of sizzling bangers while waiting in the lines to vote.

Kim Hogan has organised the sausage sizzle that will be in operation at Bunbury Primary School throughout the day.

She said as an added bonus the students involved in running the barbecue would also learn more about the democratic process.

“The kids learn civics, citizenship and those sorts of things as part of their humanities,” she said.

“I think this helps broaden their awareness even further.

“Even as adults there are people who don’t understand the green slip and the white slip, and the difference between the houses — so it’s not just the children learning.”

Mrs Hogan said having a sausage sizzle after voting was a great tradition because it took away some of the unease people had when voting.

“We are bringing all these people together in the community but they don’t want to be talking about what they are doing or who they voted for,” she said.

“It allows people to be sociable as a community after the formalities are over.”

The sausage sizzle at Bunbury Primary School will be raising money for the Year 6 end-of-year camp.