Page 433 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 19 February 1991
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MR STEVENSON: They do not want you, Terry.
Mr Connolly: I was attributing that to you.
MR STEVENSON: The reason I knew that it was not correct - and anybody who has done any polling themselves will know that it is not correct - was that the majority of Canberrans - 60 per cent - want proportional representation.
The question that was asked in the Datacol poll was changed to the Hare-Clark system as in Tasmania. When I looked at that I thought, "I bet that is it". So, for fun, I went out and asked 10 people, "What is Hare-Clark?". One lady said, "Is it a hairdressing salon?". Another was a German lady who said, "Mr Clark?". Only one person knew that Hare-Clark had something to do with an electoral system. She did not know the details. The results of our polls are: Left as it is, d'Hondt - 4 per cent; single member electorates - 17 different electorates - 24 per cent; and proportional representation, so the 17 candidates with the most direct and preference votes get elected, 60 per cent. That was the earlier survey of over 200 people. I am trying not to raise my voice, Mr Speaker. The last time I did that Mr Berry made a comment.
Rather than people who either do not survey or perhaps, more likely, do not want to make the results of their surveys known - - -
Mr Berry: We would probably use a more reliable sample.
MR STEVENSON: By all means go out and do it. Show me the results and give me a different figure. Let me look at the questions, as one would need to do when any of the polls are conducted. Also, the Datacol poll was flawed because they said, "Which party would you vote for?". It may be a revelation and a terrible shock to the major parties in Canberra to know that not only are there parties within the electoral system, or within Canberra, but there are independent candidates, and many of them in Canberra. The question "Which party would you vote for?" is flawed. I found this out by asking the question and I realised that what does let people know the correct situation is, "How would you - - -
Mrs Nolan: How big was your sample?
MR STEVENSON: Over 200 on that one. The question we asked was, "How would you vote?" or "Who for?". That gets a reasonable answer. Also, the Datacol poll suggested - - -
Ms Follett: What was the answer?
MR STEVENSON: To that one, "How would you vote?" or "Who for?"?
Mr Duby: Yes, please.
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