❓ Ms. Davies questions the Premier about the impact of Legislative Council reform on regional representation in future electoral boundary redistributions. The Premier avoids directly answering, focusing instead on perceived rorting in the upper house and criticising the opposition's regional representation.
AnsweredQoN 540Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTORAL REFORM — REPRESENTATION — REGIONS
540. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
Can the Premier confirm that the
legislation introduced today to reform the Legislative Council will remove the
reference to the metropolitan boundary from the act thereby removing the
requirement for the Western Australian Electoral Commission to have regard for
regional Western Australia or regional electorates when conducting boundary
redistributions for future elections in WA?
540. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
Can the Premier confirm that the
legislation introduced today to reform the Legislative Council will remove the
reference to the metropolitan boundary from the act thereby removing the
requirement for the Western Australian Electoral Commission to have regard for
regional Western Australia or regional electorates when conducting boundary
redistributions for future elections in WA?
AnswerView source ↗
The legislation we brought in deals
with the terrible rorting that goes on in the upper house. The vote weighting
in some regional electorates within the lower house remains unchanged. That is
the situation. The terrible vote rorting in the upper house is an assault on
democracy. It is a corrupt system in the upper house. It is corrupt and it
offends every democratic principle, what is
going on in the upper house. The fact that some people's votes are
worth six times that of other people's votes is wrong and
offensive to democracy! Democracy should not mean that some people's
votes are worth six times that of others. I would have thought that was an easy
principle to understand.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The argument
that members of the Nationals WA and the Liberal Party put that somehow they
are out there representing the regions is also wrong, because half of you have
your offices in West Perth when you are members of the upper house, including
the Leader of the Opposition. Here we have it in this photo. When she was a member
of the upper house, she lived in Perth and her office was in West Perth. That
is the fact of it, Madam Speaker. There it is. Her office was upstairs, over
the road from Parliament. There she was across the road from Parliament, not
representing the people of the regions. That is the truth of it, Madam Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! It is
very difficult to hear the Premier if so many people yell at once. We have had
the question and we have had plenty of interjection; please leave it to the
Premier to answer the question.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Let us have a look
at the other people they have put into the upper house—people like Hon Jim Chown. The Liberal Party put Hon Jim Chown
into Parliament as a representative of the Agricultural Region . That is what the Liberal Party did. His office was
in West Perth—I wonder why that was? The Liberal Party also puts into
Parliament people like Hon Peter
Collier, who describes women as ''sandwich makers''. I have not
heard a word from the Leader of the Liberal Party about that. The Liberal Party
and the National Party have put some pretty disgraceful characters into the
upper house and they have supported the absolute rorting of democratic
principles in the upper house whereby
some people's votes are worth six times those of others. Obviously, the
system has to change.
with the terrible rorting that goes on in the upper house. The vote weighting
in some regional electorates within the lower house remains unchanged. That is
the situation. The terrible vote rorting in the upper house is an assault on
democracy. It is a corrupt system in the upper house. It is corrupt and it
offends every democratic principle, what is
going on in the upper house. The fact that some people's votes are
worth six times that of other people's votes is wrong and
offensive to democracy! Democracy should not mean that some people's
votes are worth six times that of others. I would have thought that was an easy
principle to understand.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The argument
that members of the Nationals WA and the Liberal Party put that somehow they
are out there representing the regions is also wrong, because half of you have
your offices in West Perth when you are members of the upper house, including
the Leader of the Opposition. Here we have it in this photo. When she was a member
of the upper house, she lived in Perth and her office was in West Perth. That
is the fact of it, Madam Speaker. There it is. Her office was upstairs, over
the road from Parliament. There she was across the road from Parliament, not
representing the people of the regions. That is the truth of it, Madam Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! It is
very difficult to hear the Premier if so many people yell at once. We have had
the question and we have had plenty of interjection; please leave it to the
Premier to answer the question.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Let us have a look
at the other people they have put into the upper house—people like Hon Jim Chown. The Liberal Party put Hon Jim Chown
into Parliament as a representative of the Agricultural Region . That is what the Liberal Party did. His office was
in West Perth—I wonder why that was? The Liberal Party also puts into
Parliament people like Hon Peter
Collier, who describes women as ''sandwich makers''. I have not
heard a word from the Leader of the Liberal Party about that. The Liberal Party
and the National Party have put some pretty disgraceful characters into the
upper house and they have supported the absolute rorting of democratic
principles in the upper house whereby
some people's votes are worth six times those of others. Obviously, the
system has to change.
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