Page 4687 - Week 15 - Thursday, 16 December 1993
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While much of this Bill is based on Commonwealth practice, some variations of Commonwealth practice are included in the Bill. Some of these variations are intended to streamline the electoral process, in particular by enabling early determination of election results. They include: Ordinary voting in each polling place in each electorate for all three electorates, eliminating the need for electors not in their home electorate to cast a declaration or an absent vote; conducting the preliminary scrutiny of some pre-poll votes before the close of the poll on election day to enable the counting of pre-poll votes on election night. (Extension of time granted)
MADAM SPEAKER: Chief Minister, before you proceed, I point out that on 17 November last year I asked that "shonk" be withdrawn.
Mr Humphries: By whom, Madam Speaker?
MADAM SPEAKER: I asked for it to be withdrawn and it was withdrawn. It no longer is a word that I wish to hear in this chamber and I will ask any member who uses it from here on in to withdraw it. Proceed, Chief Minister.
MS FOLLETT: Thank you, Madam Speaker. They also include allowing only six days for the receipt of postal votes after polling day compared to the Commonwealth's 13-day limit.
Mr Moore: Replacing Robson rotation with Rosemary rortation.
MS FOLLETT: These are important issues, Madam Speaker; I really think members should listen.
MADAM SPEAKER: It defies anyone else to believe that. Order!
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, other variations of Commonwealth practice include simplifying the pre-poll vote criteria to allow any elector who expects to be unable to attend a polling place on polling day to apply for a pre-poll vote; making it an offence to solicit postal vote applications by asking electors to forward such applications to an address other than the Electoral Commissioner's address; providing for a 24-hour period between the close of nominations and the declaration of nominations; and making the Electoral Commissioner the returning officer for all three electorates.
The Bill provides generally for amendments of the Electoral Act 1992. A companion Bill, the Electoral (Amendment) (Consequential Provisions) Bill 1993, provides for transitional provisions related to implementation of the changes made by this Bill, and for amendments to other Acts to make consequential amendments to complement provisions in this Bill. There is one issue which members may have expected to see included in this legislation, namely, arrangements for the conduct of referendums in the Territory. It is clear, Madam Speaker, that there are in this Assembly many views about referendums, and the Government considers that this issue is best dealt with separately from the electoral legislation.
Madam Speaker, members will appreciate that the drafting of this Bill has been an enormous task completed in a very short space of time. The Bill is the largest Bill that has ever been introduced in the Assembly. In order to ensure that the Bill would be available for introduction this year as promised, detailed and comprehensive finetuning of the Bill could not be completed in the time available.
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