AUSTRALIA’S 2016 word of the year is, “democracy sausage”, defined as a barbecued sausage served on a slice of bread, bought at a polling booth sausage sizzle on election day. 

The Australian National Dictionary Centre, based at The Australian National University (ANU), selected “democracy sausage” because of its increased prominence in Australia in a year of election campaigns.

Centre director Dr Amanda Laugesen says the term was chosen from a shortlist which included “census fail”, “smashed avo”, “shoey”, “deplorables” and “Ausexit”.

“Arguably, the ‘democracy sausage’ has been one of the best things to come out of a tumultuous year in politics and political campaigning,” says Laugesen.

She says the term was first recorded in 2012, but its use increased significantly during the federal election in 2016, especially with the popularity of several websites set up to help voters find polling stations with sausage sizzles.

“Its use was also boosted by a controversial incident where Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who noted his sausage sandwich was ‘the taste of democracy’, ate his sausage from the middle.” 

The 2016 Word of the Year and shortlist were selected by the editorial staff of the Australian National Dictionary Centre, which with Oxford University Press publishes the Australian National Dictionary of words and phrases unique to Australia.

The Word of the Year is based on extensive research as well as public suggestions.

Other 2016 definitions from the Australian National Dictionary:

Census fail refers to the failure of the Australian Bureau of Statistics website on Census night. This was the first year that Australians had been encouraged to complete their census online, but the site was down for two days, prompting a storm of public criticism.

Smashed avo is a popular café breakfast which became a hot topic when columnist Bernard Salt referred to young people spending money on eating smashed avocado on toast in cafes rather than saving to buy a house.

Shoey is the act of drinking an alcoholic beverage out of a shoe, especially to celebrate a sporting victory. The shoey is an Australian phenomenon that shot to international fame this year, thanks to Australian Formula One racing driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Ausexit refers to the potential cutting of ties with the British monarchy, or the departure of Australia from the United Nations.

Deplorables is a term used to refer to people considered to be extremely conservative or reactionary, especially those who reject mainstream politics.