Key Points
- Australian politicians have used Valentine's Day to promote their policies.
- They range from spruiking the myGov app, to cheaper train fares.
- Some online users hit back with poetic responses.
Valentine's Day is usually associated with sending messages - but Australian politicians took that as a way of pushing programs, criticising opponents, and calling for change through memes, poems and puns.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten used the excuse of 14 February to drum up some poetry about the Government's myGov app.
"Roses are red,
myGov is blue,
Our myGov app is easy to use," he wrote on Twitter in the form of a poem.
One Twitter user wasn't impressed, and fired back with a poem of his own.
"Roses are red, I shower undressed, the government needs to overhaul the NDIS!" he Tweeted as a response to Mr Shorten's post.
Education Minister Jason Clare plugged the government's commitment to cheaper TAFE and childcare.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews took to Facebook to promote the state government's plan for cheaper fares on V/Line trains.
"Happy V/Line-tines Day, Victoria," he posted to his one million followers.
"No flowers this year - but cheaper fares are on the way."
Mr Andrews' post included a scene from The Simpsons episode 'I Love Lisa', where Lisa Simpsons receives a card from her classmate Ralph Wiggum on Valentine's Day that says "I choo-choo choose you" alongside a picture of a train. In this case, the train was one from the V/Line fleet which take commuters to and from the state's regions.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews took to Facebook to promote the state government's work on V-line trains. Source: Facebook
"Roses are red
Violets are blue
The longer Labor governs
The more it costs you," LNP Senator James McGrath wrote on Twitter.
The Greens used Valentine's Day to promote the legalisation of cannabis.
Politicians using memes or puns on Valentine's Day isn't new.
In 2018, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a $3.9 million funding boost for the Australian War Memorial on Valentine's Day.
In 2019, Queensland MP Robbie Katter used Valentine's Day to promote a local pizza shop in his electorate as the perfect Valentine's Day getaway.
On his official Facebook page, he posted a photo of a heart-shaped pizza from a local pizzeria, along with the caption: "Wishing you all a happy Valentine's Day! Why not treat your loved one to a heart-shaped pizza at the Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo?"
In 2020, New South Wales MP Felicity Wilson shared a post on Facebook about the importance of self-love and self-care, reminding her followers to take care of themselves on Valentine's Day and every day.
On Valentine's Day in 2021, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan declared his love for WA.
“Roses are red, violets are blue. WA is the best place in the world,” he wrote.
Valentine's Day has no clear origin, with different stories and legends providing various explanations for its beginnings.
One story is that the holiday dates back to ancient Rome, where a festival called Lupercalia was held in mid-February to celebrate fertility and the coming of spring.
During this festival, young men would draw the names of women from a box and then spend the day with them, with the hope of finding a romantic partner.
Another legend suggests that Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who lived in the third century.
According to the story, Valentine was imprisoned and sentenced to death for marrying couples in secret, defying the orders of the Roman emperor who believed that single men made better soldiers.
While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailer's daughter and wrote her love letters signed "From your Valentine", a phrase that is still used today.
Valentine's Day became increasingly popular in the 19th century, with the production of mass-produced Valentine's Day cards and the commercialisation of the holiday.
