Page 1546 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 July 2020
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I note that the commissioner did not support this measure in the ACT Electoral Commission’s response to the Assembly’s Select Committee on the 2016 Election and Electoral Act report of November 2017. The commissioner normally hosts a webpage during the election, with links to candidates or party webpages, but the commissioner raised the risk of unintended or perceived bias which could potentially undermine their independence and impartiality.
The opposition believes that informed and fair elections are essential to democracy. The commissioner’s role as an independent and impartial body is fundamental to elections. The commissioner may be able to provide further insight into the use of the webpage or practical issues after the 2020 election. We are happy to revisit the hosting of candidate information, as necessary. However we believe the current health crisis reinforces the need to explore how information can be accessed by voters during an election.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for the Arts, Creative Industries and Cultural Events, Minister for Building Quality Improvement, Minister for Business and Regulatory Services and Minister for Seniors and Veterans) (5.00): The government agrees with the principle behind the amendment moved by Ms Le Couteur and the amendment moved to that by Mr Coe. We note that the Electoral Commissioner has expressed some concerns, both to the Assembly committee and more recently, regarding any perceived risk of bias around this. We are confident that this can be worked through in practical measure.
We believe that there is a risk that candidates without substantial financial resources may find it difficult to participate effectively in campaign activities, especially this year, and presenting candidate information on the Electoral Commission’s website will provide an important alternative avenue for candidates to offer information about themselves. Therefore, this amendment will effectively allow voters to access a centralised location to find information on all ACT election candidates.
We support Mr Coe’s amendment to Ms Le Couteur’s amendment.
MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (5.02): I would like to add—I believe this is correct—that the practical amendment that I have put forward also allows a registered officer of a registered party to act on behalf of the candidate in relation to providing candidate information. This would mean that the commissioner has just one contact point for each party rather than having to engage with every candidate individually. Given the number of candidates in Hare-Clark, that would be a very onerous task for the Electoral Commission, and very complex for political parties as well.
Mr Coe’s amendment to Ms Le Couteur’s proposed amendment agreed to.
Ms Le Couteur’s amendment, as amended, agreed to.
Proposed new clause 9A, as amended, agreed to.
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