Replies

That sounds practically Orwellian.

Yeah, Big Brother is watching all right... but Big Brother Australian-style is also something of an idiot. A few years back I got a letter from the Australian Electoral Commission (the body that oversees all this shenangigans) telling me I hadn't voted in the last State election and to either give them a valid reason (like, I was dead or something) or pay the $20 fine. Instead, I wrote them an indignant letter saying that yes I flaming well did vote, and could produce at least three witnesses to prove it, and that furthermore it wasn't my fault if they couldn't employ people who couldn't tick off a simple (if uncommon) surname on a list.

In the time-honoured manner of bureaucracies everywehere, I heard nothing else from them.

Not hearing from bureaucrats is usually a good thing.
While we are speaking of goofy actions at the hands of government, I'll tell you about the Applewhite reservoir - short version.
The reservoir was half finished.
Eco-weenies and short-sighted bean counters called for a vote on whether to finish the project.
The language of the ballot was thus: Vote "yes" to cancel the project and vote "no" to continue the project.
Needless to say, the electorate voted "yes" in great numbers only to discover that "Yes" did not mean "Yes." The voters screamed for a a new vote with honest verbiage on the ballot. The new vote saved the reservoir only after two expensive elections for which the rate payers had to pay.