Page 1300 - Week 05 - Thursday, 26 April 1990
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the concept. A proposed system was placed before the committee based on the modified d'Hondt system and we were told that it would be even easier for the Hare-Clark system. However, there are still a number of issues to be resolved, not the least of which is the means by which the input of information from the ballot-paper could be verified. While these problems are not unsolvable, more work is required. We considered it appropriate for this issue to be examined further. Action along these lines would depend on the system finally accepted, as it may be that no real benefit in speeding up the count or using fewer staff is possible using computers.
In closing, let me say that this has been an interesting and challenging task, and I trust that this report will provide the basis for responsible debate on an issue that affects us all. I commend the report to the Assembly.
MS MAHER (10.50): Mr Speaker, I am going to speak only very briefly on this report. Mr Jensen has outlined a lot of the comments that I was going to make, so I will not go over them. The report was requested because of genuine community concern about the issues of self-government. The terms of reference reflect those concerns. Let me read them out. We had to report on the following:
(a) a financial agreement between the ACT and the Commonwealth Government as a result of self-government for the Territory;
(b) the form of government most appropriate in the ACT taking into account the responsibilities of State, Territory and municipal governments;
(c) the method and practice of the first ACT election with particular regard to the electoral system and the election process with a view to recommending changes which might improve the process and expedite the count; and
(d) the reserve powers retained by the Commonwealth under the ACT self-government legislation particularly with respect to:
(i) the responsibility for the future electoral arrangements;
(ii) the size and structure of the Legislative Assembly;
(iii) the size of the Executive; and
(iv) the role and powers of the Governor-General.
After almost seven months of public hearings the committee arrived at 28 recommendations. I must stress that many of those recommendations, if they are adopted by this Assembly, have to go to the Federal Parliament before anything can actually be changed to assist the ACT in having its own electoral system over which it has power and to which it can make its own changes.
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