Page 1235 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
the Special Minister of State, Gary Nairn, outlining our objections and expressing our concern about the negative effect these laws will have on the community.
Further, it is important that members in this place encourage their constituents to enrol or change their details as early as possible in order that they do not get caught out by the new laws. This country has a history that everyone who is eligible to vote has the right to vote. That right should not be taken away from them by the Howard government’s regressive and unjust electoral laws. I commend this motion to the Assembly.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Planning) (5.30): Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Seselja: Mr Speaker, the normal practice is to go from side to side.
MR SPEAKER: Everyone will get a turn.
Mr Seselja: Not 15 minutes—
MR CORBELL: The Commonwealth Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2006 was passed by the commonwealth parliament—
Mr Seselja: That is disgraceful!
MR SPEAKER: Order! If you think it is disgraceful, Mr Seselja, just move a dissent motion. Do not interject like that and draw into question the chair’s rulings.
MR CORBELL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. This act amended the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to make far-reaching changes to Australia’s electoral laws. The changes made by the electoral integrity act included significant changes to the electoral enrolment process, including the removal of the seven-day grace period for the close of the electoral rolls and a requirement to provide extra proof of identity when enrolling. The electoral integrity act also deprived all prisoners of the right to vote for federal elections, although the act had the effect of granting the right to enrol and vote for ACT elections to all prisoners eligible to enrol in the ACT.
The electoral integrity act also significantly reduced the transparency of the federal political process by raising the threshold amount at which the identity of donors and political parties and other political participants have to be disclosed to above $10,000. While this issue is not directly related to today’s motion, it will no doubt be the subject of debate in this place at a later time.
As the ACT’s electoral enrolment scheme is directly linked to the federal enrolment provisions by virtue of the joint roll arrangement between the ACT and the commonwealth, the changes made to the commonwealth enrolment provisions will have a direct impact on the ACT’s own electoral processes. To give more detail around that, the changes that affect the ACT’s enrolment scheme include introducing a three-tier enrolment scheme in which electors must provide proof of identity by listing their driver’s licence number or, if they do not have a driver’s licence, showing
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .