Page 1097 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 April 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
I would like to add, Madam Speaker, that there is no real evidence that fraudulent voting occurs on a significant scale. For the sake of attempting to fix what is a non-evident problem, I believe that we would be causing a great deal of confusion and inconvenience if we were to adopt Mr Stevenson's amendments.
MR HUMPHRIES (5.18): Madam Speaker, I also indicate that I have to decline support for Mr Stevenson's amendment in this area.
Mr Moore: You mean that you are going to oppose that?
MR HUMPHRIES: Even that, yes. I will even do that. Fundamentally, he needs to do some more work on how this would operate. I think the Chief Minister is right to suggest that there is ambiguity here about what level of ID is required, and also to point out that if someone is prepared to go to the extent of wanting to vote multiple times in ACT elections they are quite happy also, presumably, to forge some documents to do so.
Ms Follett: Photocopy the electricity bill.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed. I looked through my wallet when I saw Mr Stevenson's proposals and I have my driver's licence, which has my name and address on it.
Mr Berry: I thought you were too young for a driver's licence.
MR HUMPHRIES: I know that I look that young, Mr Berry, but I am not. I have nothing else in my wallet, apart from an organ donor card, which I might not have, that contains my address.
Mr Berry: I hope that you never have to use it, Gary.
MR HUMPHRIES: I hope not either. If I was not a driver it would be very difficult for me to produce evidence of my address. As you say, perhaps my latest electricity bill would do, but it is very easily forged or copied. It contains no valuable information at all. There is a great danger, as the Chief Minister has indicated, that this would cause immense irritation and immense difficulty for many quite innocent and ordinary voters whose position in no way is likely to threaten the validity of the voting system but who would find it difficult to comply with these requirements, particularly if they had not done so for the last umpteen number of years and had to do so, perhaps unexpectedly.
I might say, however, that I find it slightly rich that criticism of the idea of carrying some form of ID should come from a party which was the proponent of the notorious Australia Card. Had we had our Australia Card it would have been quite easy for people to produce their ID and to flash it about. I am glad that we do not have the Australia Card, and I hope that these provisions will not be adopted either. I think that they are unnecessary and, as the Chief Minister indicated, they do not deal with a problem which exists.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .