Page 4674 - Week 15 - Thursday, 21 November 1991
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But prior to that time, Mr Speaker, we are in a bind in that, as we are aware, the current Assembly has often had to suffer a tremendous amount of flak which has often been associated with the electoral system under which we were elected. We ought to take whatever action we can to ensure that we no longer have to provide the next Assembly with the same sort of flak.
One thing that we can do - perhaps it is timely - is call on the Federal Parliament, which is currently debating electoral matters with reference to the ACT, to draw up an amendment to the amendment Bill that is before it at the moment to give us the recommendation of the Australian Electoral Commission for this one election; in other words, to have the second ACT Assembly elected under a system other than a discredited one. The system that would be most acceptable, I believe, under these circumstances, is that which has been recommended by the independent body looking at electoral matters within the ACT, that is, the Australian Electoral Commission.
Mr Wood: I would not take any notice of them.
MR MOORE: Mr Wood interjects that he would not take any notice of them, and I feel compelled to respond to his interjection. I think he is aware that there are many people who believe that it is through the Australian Electoral Commission that the count of the voting took some eight weeks. It is very interesting. One of the few people who scrutineered for nearly that whole period after the last election was my wife.
Mr Jensen: And mine as well.
MR MOORE: Mr Jensen interjects that his wife was there, too. I certainly include her because I know that that was true, and they both did a tremendous job. In that time, I think those who scrutineered there recognised that the officers worked particularly hard, but the one thing in particular which was noted by those who observed the count was that the size of the ballot paper probably increased the time four- or five-fold just because they had such a large ballot paper to handle and scan. But those are issues that have already been well documented and dealt with.
The submission of the Electoral Commission on this matter made the point that the modified d'Hondt system is so close in its effect to the Senate system that it begs the question why the Senate system, which is familiar to ACT electors and to electoral workers although it is significantly less complex than the modified d'Hondt system and is widely understood and accepted, is not being used instead. They felt that there is no convincing
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