Page 1214 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 April 1994
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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON NOTICE
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I wonder whether I could have leave to make a very brief statement about a question on notice that Mrs Carnell raised after question time.
Leave granted.
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, following question time today Mrs Carnell asked me a question in regard to question on notice No. 1159. My office has checked the records in relation to this question. It appears that I approved a response to Mrs Carnell on 17 March 1994. However, I am advised by my office that the Assembly Secretariat has no record of that response. I would like, therefore, to take this opportunity to table a copy of the answer, and I will arrange to forward a copy through the usual system so that it appears in Hansard.
ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT) BILL 1993
Detail Stage
Clause 22, as amended
Debate resumed.
MADAM SPEAKER: The question before us is: That Opposition amendment zv. be agreed to.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (4.41): The effect of Mr Humphries's amendment, Madam Speaker, is not to ban how-to-vote cards but rather to prohibit the canvassing of votes within 100 metres of the grounds of a polling place. I believe that this amendment ought to be opposed, and strenuously opposed. The distribution of how-to-vote cards on polling days is seen very much as a part of the political process in every State and Territory except Tasmania. It is not necessary, in my view, to ban how-to-vote cards in order to implement the Hare-Clark system. In fact, from my memory, the question of how-to-vote cards did not appear anywhere on the referendum description sheet or in any of the narrative about the electoral system for the ACT.
A couple of issues have been raised in connection with how-to-vote cards. The first of those is that they are going to be confusing. I do agree that the Robson rotation method will make it difficult to design a how-to-vote card. There is no doubt about that, because the order of candidates in the columns is different on each successive ballot-paper. However, I regard this problem as one of design rather than of substance. It certainly is not a good enough reason to ban how-to-vote cards.
I would put forward, Madam Speaker, that how-to-vote cards are very much a part of freedom of speech and the freedom to express a political view in our society. I also put forward that there is not really a valid comparison between how-to-vote cards and paid television advertising. I think there is a major difference between paying television stations hundreds of thousands of dollars, in many cases, to advertise a political party and
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