Page 5118 - Week 12 - Thursday, 27 October 2011
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I will be advocating to my colleagues that they not support this bill if it is brought forward in this place. I note that the attorney has made comments about this. This is an entrenched provision of the electoral system. It requires a two-thirds majority of this place to support it; it requires every party grouping in this place to support it. I will be encouraging my colleagues not to support this bill, because we do not believe there has been any community clamouring for this or any community consultation on this. This came out of nowhere, and this is the ALP’s attempt to grasp control of the electoral system to their advantage. This is something the people of the ACT should not support.
I note, for instance, that the attorney is prepared to deal with this matter, which is an entrenched provision, but he does not have sufficient courage to put it to a referendum. He came to the committee and made the point that he wanted it voted on here, but if he could not be guaranteed a two-thirds majority, he did not want to automatically trigger a referendum on the matter at the next election. If he cannot be guaranteed a two-thirds majority, he will not bring this matter forward. It shows how nefarious the Labor Party has been with this and it shows that the attorney does not have the courage of his convictions.
I thank members of the committee for their participation in this. Although there was disagreement, it was disagreement that was dealt with in good spirit. I thank the committee’s secretary, Dr Brian Lloyd, for his contribution as well.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella) (10.19): I join the chair, Mrs Dunne, and Ms Hunter in congratulating Dr Lloyd on his contribution to compiling this report, having regard to the differing views that were expressed within the context of our meetings. I will observe a couple of things, however. One is that I recall the conversations in the committee regarding the different views on casual vacancies. I do not recall quite the same amount of venom in the committee meeting discussions as I have heard here. I have to put on the record my surprise. No, actually, I take that back. I am not surprised. I put on the record my disappointment about that. In fact, the conversations were civil. They were academic, made all the more so for the absence of the Leader of the Opposition, I might have to say.
The arguments advanced by Mrs Dunne were considered. We did not disparage those arguments. We just had a differing view and that has manifested itself in this report. We heard some of the emotion in her speech now. In fact, one item actually found its way into one of the drafts, but to her credit she removed it. That was the statement that this has come out of nowhere. She has just used that very phrase now. She said that it is a horrible plot by the Labor Party to do X, Y and Z.
Mr Speaker, it needs to be said on the record, and not through interjection either, that this did not come out of nowhere. It did not come out of the Labor Party. It did not come out of the Greens. It came out of the independent Electoral Commission. It came out—
Mrs Dunne interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, thank you!
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