❓ Ms. Davies questions the Minister for Electoral Affairs regarding the prioritisation of Legislative Council electoral reform and the omission of ticket voting abolition from a previous bill. The Minister defends the current focus and explains the context of the previous bill.
AnsweredQoN 40Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTORAL REFORM — LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
40. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Electoral Affairs:
I refer to the minister's
electoral reform agenda for the Legislative Council.
(1) Does the
minister concede that this is being treated as a priority for the Labor
government, despite the Premier and others clearly saying otherwise when they
went to the election?
(2) Why was the
abolition of ticket voting not included in the government's Electoral
Amendment Bill 2020?
40. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Electoral Affairs:
I refer to the minister's
electoral reform agenda for the Legislative Council.
(1) Does the
minister concede that this is being treated as a priority for the Labor
government, despite the Premier and others clearly saying otherwise when they
went to the election?
(2) Why was the
abolition of ticket voting not included in the government's Electoral
Amendment Bill 2020?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Firstly,
if I can answer that back to front and answer the second part first, which is
why it was not included in the 2020 electoral reform bill, I was not the
minister at that time and I had not personally turned my mind to that at that
time. I was the minister representing a minister then and I just brought the
bill forward as brought forward. Obviously, there has been a call, as I understand
it, by your good self, Leader of the Opposition,
for reform in that area. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition
publicly called for that reform after the election of the Daylight
Saving Party in the Mining and Pastoral Region, which, with 98 first preference
votes, pinched a seat off the Nationals WA. I can understand the Leader of the
Opposition's call in those circumstances.
The first part of the question was:
why was it not a priority and why is it a priority now? I like to consider myself a reformer. I brought in 58 bills in the
last Parliament. When someone gives me a job to do, I like to get on and
do it as quick as I can! I have done that with the no body, no parole
legislation, which I brought in in the first
week. The bill to lift the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse
victims, I got that on as quick as I could,
and when I was given this task of electoral reform, I looked at it and said, ''Well,
I haven't done this before and I haven't been involved
in this, but I'm going to get cracking on it!'' I do not know
whether I will get 59 bills up in this term, but I am going to give it a good
shot. I thought, ''I'll just get going on this.''
if I can answer that back to front and answer the second part first, which is
why it was not included in the 2020 electoral reform bill, I was not the
minister at that time and I had not personally turned my mind to that at that
time. I was the minister representing a minister then and I just brought the
bill forward as brought forward. Obviously, there has been a call, as I understand
it, by your good self, Leader of the Opposition,
for reform in that area. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition
publicly called for that reform after the election of the Daylight
Saving Party in the Mining and Pastoral Region, which, with 98 first preference
votes, pinched a seat off the Nationals WA. I can understand the Leader of the
Opposition's call in those circumstances.
The first part of the question was:
why was it not a priority and why is it a priority now? I like to consider myself a reformer. I brought in 58 bills in the
last Parliament. When someone gives me a job to do, I like to get on and
do it as quick as I can! I have done that with the no body, no parole
legislation, which I brought in in the first
week. The bill to lift the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse
victims, I got that on as quick as I could,
and when I was given this task of electoral reform, I looked at it and said, ''Well,
I haven't done this before and I haven't been involved
in this, but I'm going to get cracking on it!'' I do not know
whether I will get 59 bills up in this term, but I am going to give it a good
shot. I thought, ''I'll just get going on this.''
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