Page 1219 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 April 1994
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It is one thing to prohibit the right to distribute electoral material - a move which cannot be supported on the ground that individuals and organisations ought to have a right to declare their views about how people should vote; it is quite another matter, however, to permit the harassment of voters as they perform their compulsory civic duty. I understand that most people in this chamber have decided already whether or not they will support the distribution of how-to-vote cards on polling day, but I am not sure about Mr Stevenson. Perhaps Mr Stevenson will consider the arguments that I have presented today.
MR DE DOMENICO (4.58): Like my colleague Mr Kaine, I was quite prepared to allow my more learned friend in terms of this sort of legislation, Mr Humphries, to talk about this because it is a highly technical Bill. I do not profess to have any knowledge whatsoever of the technicalities of the Bill. The little knowledge that I have is about politics. This particular issue has nothing to do with freedom of choice and all that sort of stuff that the Chief Minister stood up and talked about. It is all about politics. Let us be honest; let us get that on the table.
Mr Berry: That would be something new for you.
MR DE DOMENICO: I will take on that interjection. Mr Berry said, "And that will be something". Mr Berry, let me remind you time and time again that, unlike you, no member on this side of the house has been accused of misleading this house. You should not say anything about honesty. Madam Speaker, who can ever forget the words of the Chief Minister, on all sorts of programs, on another issue in relation to the Hare-Clark electoral system, above-the-line voting? This was all to do with giving people choice. We heard all those wonderful platitudes that come out of the Chief Minister's mouth from time to time. The reality, Madam Speaker, on that issue and on this one, is that it is all about politics - nothing else but politics.
We all know that the Labor Party in this town have this incredible, arrogant attitude that they have the right, the sole right, to tell the people what to do. It is not the other way round, as it should be; it is not the other way round, as the people want it to be. The Labor Party in this town, and especially the left wing of the Labor Party in this town, have this arrogant belief that they have a divine right to rule it like Tammany Hall. That is what this issue is all about. Let us make no bones about it. It would be easier for me to accept that sort of argument if the people opposite stood up and actually said it, because that is exactly what this is about. But, no; they try to hide it. They try to hide it by accusing Mr Humphries, for example. They say, "Why did he not seek to ban them altogether and not go for just the 100 metres situation?". Because the Hare-Clark system, which is what the people voted for, has the 100 metres in it. That is why Mr Humphries did not seek to ban them altogether - because it is not what the people wanted.
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