Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4169 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I want to thank members on all sides of the chamber, including the Labor Party, for their support for this Bill. It is a Bill which has been developed collaboratively, as I think Ms Tucker noted, given that, as much as possible, we wish to ensure that the operation of the electoral system in the ACT enjoys a modicum of support from all the parties who contest an election. With the announcement by the Australian Labor Party a few months ago that they support the retention of the Hare-Clark system in the ACT, no doubt supported by the results of two recent referendums on the subject, I think we can move quite firmly towards the position where the Hare-Clark system is accepted as the system that is suitable for the ACT, and one which will increasingly be used, I think, as a model for other parts of the world that may care to overhaul their systems and achieve a system of greater fairness than they might presently enjoy.

I am pleased that the refinements which the experience of the first Hare-Clark election in 1995 gave rise to are to be supported by the Assembly. I trust that there will be a continuing process of us refining and finetuning a system which is essentially very strong. In that regard I will make a brief comment on Ms Tucker's criticisms of the donkey vote effect of Hare-Clark. She made reference to the paper by Dr Kirschbaum and, with reference to a particular candidate, quoted the words, "She probably would not have been successful had she not also had the luck of the draw or, more precisely, the luck of the donkey vote".

I think it is very important in saying that to put in context the impact of the donkey vote under Hare-Clark generally. Do not forget that under other electoral systems, such as the PR system used in the Australian Senate and elsewhere, with list systems for multiple candidates, the donkey vote is all powerful. It determines the outcomes of elections within particular parties. I think it was said to me that there was one case in an election at the beginning of the 1970s where the order of the candidates on the party ticket in some election for the Senate, I think in Victoria, did not result in that being the order in which the candidates were elected. That is the only occasion when the donkey vote has not dictated the outcome of elections in other fields. It is obviously very clear that a system like this which does not have a significant effect from the donkey vote is a vast improvement on the system for electing people.

To come to the amendments that Ms Tucker is going to move later on, it is conceded very readily by me that there is still some impact by the donkey vote. I do not comment on any particular case where it may have resulted in a different result in the election held in 1995, but it is clear that a case can be made - - -

Mr Moore: You would not want to make an ass of some of your colleagues.

MR HUMPHRIES: I do not comment, Mr Moore, but it may well be the case that it did have an impact on the way in which people were elected to the Assembly. Irrespective of what may or may not be the case, and we cannot really be sure without examining the ballot papers in detail, we need to be able to ensure that cases like that, if they do arise, are minimised, if not eliminated altogether.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .