Page 396 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 19 February 1991
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Mr Moore's motion also makes reference to the recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and in particular the subcommittee of that joint committee, chaired by Dr Wooldridge, a member from Victoria, which looked at the ACT electoral system. I have to say that there were some features of that report which I disagreed with and which I would not think are in the best interests of the ACT; but it was certainly a fair report, overall, and I think we need to support the recommendation that the people of the ACT have the right to decide their own electoral system at the earliest opportunity.
I want to emphasise again that we cannot proceed, as a Territory, to gain the respect of people in this Territory and outside it unless we have established for ourselves a decent basis of government, and the most important basis of that government must be an electoral system which reflects the aspirations and the votes of people in Canberra. If we have a system which is unfair - there are many examples in this country, regrettably, and in the not too distant past, of unfair electoral systems - we fatally sabotage future governments and I, for one, believe that the work which faces us now and in future years is too important to allow that kind of baggage to prevent us from achieving it.
Mr Speaker, as I have said, we on this side of the house support this motion of Mr Moore's and believe that it ought to be followed up with the motion which I foreshadow at this stage I will be moving when we have dealt with Mr Moore's motion.
MR CONNOLLY (8.09): Mr Speaker, this is a rare moment of unanimity, it seems so far, on this matter. Mr Moore's motion is supported by the Opposition as well as by the Government parties. The reasons stated by both Mr Moore and Mr Humphries are ones that we can broadly endorse. It is clearly appropriate that a referendum be held and that it be funded by the Federal Government. It was the Federal Government that inflicted this electoral system upon the ACT, and the opportunity to give the citizens of the ACT the chance to decide what should be the future electoral system ought be one that is paid for by the Federal Government.
It is ironic that this is the second time in about a week that I have been following Mr Humphries in a debate involving electoral matters. I note again that Mr Humphries made some very fine statements - statements that we on this side of the house can only endorse - about the absolute importance of a fair electoral system in any polity. He noted that there had been a history of unfair electoral systems instituted or encouraged by, it must be said, both parties in the past in Australia; but I would again remind him that in Western Australia the conservative parties have continued to block reform of the upper house. I would hope that his enlightened views on fair electoral systems will be carried over to conservative colleagues in
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