Page 441 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 19 February 1991
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It was only during the latter stages of the count that the intentions of the voters became lost. I do not think that there is any doubt about that. Mr Speaker, that is one of the reasons why we recommended that that aspect of the modified d'Hondt system be changed.
Let me just make a final comment in relation to a matter that Mr Wood mentioned. If we accept the fact, as Mr Wood has said, that there is insufficient time for an amendment to be made to the legislation and to allow a referendum to take place, the question really has to be asked: Is that not a clear indictment on the actions of the Federal Labor Party in failing to honour its obligations to the people of the ACT? That is a clear indictment that they failed to ensure that the people of the ACT, as quickly as possible after the first election, had an opportunity to decide the electoral system under which future members of this Assembly were to be elected.
MS FOLLETT (Leader of the Opposition) (10.30): I was not going to speak on this; but it is now 10.30 pm and we are yet to see the Government get to any item on the business paper dealing with Assembly business or executive business, so I might as well add to this debate. I wish to speak in support of the amendment moved by Mr Berry. In doing so I would like to take up just a couple of issues. I will be brief.
We heard from Mr Kaine that it is his view that this single member electorate system does not have the support of people in the wider community. Of course, he is quite wrong on that matter. The fact is that this is the system that is used in every lower house in every State in mainland Australia and in the Northern Territory. I cannot believe that Mr Kaine honestly thinks that all of those parliaments do not work by virtue of their electoral system, or are not representative. It is also a fact, as Mr Stevenson pointed out, that the only poll that I am aware of on this matter in the ACT - the Datacol poll conducted by the Canberra Times - did find that Canberra people want single member electorates.
I am totally at a loss to know how Mr Kaine arrived at his conclusion that people do not want single member electorates - - -
Mr Berry: He used Dennis Stevenson's poll.
MS FOLLETT: Unless he of course, as Mr Berry points out, used Mr Stevenson's poll of 10 of his closest friends. I prefer to go by the experience of the rest of Australia and the only authoritative poll that has apparently been conducted. Mr Kaine is quite wrong on that issue.
Another matter that I wish to mention is that I heard Mr Collaery complain yesterday on the radio that he had not been consulted by the Federal Government on this matter. If he had not been consulted yesterday, I would say that
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