Page 3384 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 13 October 1993
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There are benefits to members of parliament of citizens-initiated referenda or, as we call it, the voice of the electorate. Few politicians would claim that our profession is held in high esteem. I believe that the principle of the voice of the electorate will lift that esteem. It will make members of parliament more accountable. It will see a coming together of different groups in the community and members of parliament. One of the most important things it does is to reduce the power of special interest groups. People will be able to call a referendum where they can contest a law that has been introduced and see whether it was the consequence of pressure from a special interest group or whether it was a necessary law.
Will democracy benefit? Democracy means literally people rule. It is the opposite to aristocracy, where we have the divine right of the best born to make the decisions. Should we work towards aristocracy or make democracy live again in Australia in the ACT? In Australia, and in Canberra, the power comes from the people. Is it valid to give the people more power? There is an absolute wealth of talent in the ACT - in the unions, in the public service, in the business sector and in the community in general. The Voice of the Electorate Bill will give those areas more power to influence and improve the lot of Canberra.
When this law is introduced, will citizens always make the best decision? I would not think so. Do politicians always make the best decision? I know that they do not. Nevertheless, when the citizens have the power to have a valid say in those relatively few important decisions they select, at least they have the responsibility and they can respond with ability. Some people have suggested that people do not cast a vote correctly. This law will improve that problem in a major way. It will let Canberrans know that when they cast a vote at a binding referendum it means something valuable. It encourages the community to be more concerned about the political process, to be more concerned about those issues that come before the Assembly and affect their everyday lives.
There are valid questions raised about binding citizens-initiated referenda, about the voice of the electorate principle. The question of cost is a valid point. Under this legislation that I today table, 2 per cent of voters' signatures is required to have a referendum question or questions put at the next ACT general election, so there is minuscule cost there. However, if 5 per cent of the electorate - some 8,000 people at present - require the right to approve or reject a particular proposal, it would be put to referendum within three months. There is a cost involved in holding such referendums.
However, there are methods that can be used to take a poll of an entire electorate that have very little cost. First of all, in this day of electronic advances, electronic voting can be used with PIN numbers. I have no doubt whatsoever that it will be only a short time before this comes in in countries around the world. There is no doubt about that; we are talking about only when. I have been given plans on how this would work in a democratic and inexpensive way. A referendum could be held at a number of locations throughout the ACT - not on one day, but over a period of two to four weeks. It could be held at post offices, for instance, and the ballot-papers collected each evening. So cost is not always a major factor.
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