❓ The Premier avoids directly answering whether Labor members will have a free vote on electoral legislation, instead attacking the Liberal Party's record on conscience votes and defending Labor's party discipline.
AnsweredQoN 211Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTORAL REFORM, ELECTORAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Does the Premier stand by the universally accepted principle of electoral accountability, as spelt out by the Commission on Government, that each member of Parliament should act in accordance with the wishes of his or her electorate? If so, will the Premier allow his party a free vote on his electoral legislation, or will country Labor members be forced to toe the Australian Labor Party line? Dr GALLOP
Does the Premier stand by the universally accepted principle of electoral accountability, as spelt out by the Commission on Government, that each member of Parliament should act in accordance with the wishes of his or her electorate? If so, will the Premier allow his party a free vote on his electoral legislation, or will country Labor members be forced to toe the Australian Labor Party line? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
Here we go again. Whenever the Liberal Party is in opposition, it gives us the story that it is the party of conscience and that its members can speak freely. Perhaps the member for South Perth will give the Parliament a talk or two on the reality of speaking freely within the ranks of the Liberal Party. Where were the conscience votes when it was in government? Where were they? I looked under the table and in the corner, but I could not see any conscience votes on the Liberal side of the Parliament. The Labor Party in Parliament works according to certain rules. On important questions of life and death, such as abortion on the one side and euthanasia on the other, the Labor Party allows a conscience vote because, on those issues, we do not think it appropriate to straitjacket the consciences of people. However, on other issues, the Labor Party quite openly says that its members stand united in this Parliament. We have our debates in the party room and at the Labor Party conference, but we come into this Parliament and stand united. Everybody knows that. It has been part of the Labor Party platform since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
Dr GALLOP replied: Here we go again. Whenever the Liberal Party is in opposition, it gives us the story that it is the party of conscience and that its members can speak freely. Perhaps the member for South Perth will give the Parliament a talk or two on the reality of speaking freely within the ranks of the Liberal Party. Where were the conscience votes when it was in government? Where were they? I looked under the table and in the corner, but I could not see any conscience votes on the Liberal side of the Parliament. The Labor Party in Parliament works according to certain rules. On important questions of life and death, such as abortion on the one side and euthanasia on the other, the Labor Party allows a conscience vote because, on those issues, we do not think it appropriate to straitjacket the consciences of people. However, on other issues, the Labor Party quite openly says that its members stand united in this Parliament. We have our debates in the party room and at the Labor Party conference, but we come into this Parliament and stand united. Everybody knows that. It has been part of the Labor Party platform since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
Here we go again. Whenever the Liberal Party is in opposition, it gives us the story that it is the party of conscience and that its members can speak freely. Perhaps the member for South Perth will give the Parliament a talk or two on the reality of speaking freely within the ranks of the Liberal Party. Where were the conscience votes when it was in government? Where were they? I looked under the table and in the corner, but I could not see any conscience votes on the Liberal side of the Parliament. The Labor Party in Parliament works according to certain rules. On important questions of life and death, such as abortion on the one side and euthanasia on the other, the Labor Party allows a conscience vote because, on those issues, we do not think it appropriate to straitjacket the consciences of people. However, on other issues, the Labor Party quite openly says that its members stand united in this Parliament. We have our debates in the party room and at the Labor Party conference, but we come into this Parliament and stand united. Everybody knows that. It has been part of the Labor Party platform since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
The Labor Party in Parliament works according to certain rules. On important questions of life and death, such as abortion on the one side and euthanasia on the other, the Labor Party allows a conscience vote because, on those issues, we do not think it appropriate to straitjacket the consciences of people. However, on other issues, the Labor Party quite openly says that its members stand united in this Parliament. We have our debates in the party room and at the Labor Party conference, but we come into this Parliament and stand united. Everybody knows that. It has been part of the Labor Party platform since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
Dr GALLOP replied: Here we go again. Whenever the Liberal Party is in opposition, it gives us the story that it is the party of conscience and that its members can speak freely. Perhaps the member for South Perth will give the Parliament a talk or two on the reality of speaking freely within the ranks of the Liberal Party. Where were the conscience votes when it was in government? Where were they? I looked under the table and in the corner, but I could not see any conscience votes on the Liberal side of the Parliament. The Labor Party in Parliament works according to certain rules. On important questions of life and death, such as abortion on the one side and euthanasia on the other, the Labor Party allows a conscience vote because, on those issues, we do not think it appropriate to straitjacket the consciences of people. However, on other issues, the Labor Party quite openly says that its members stand united in this Parliament. We have our debates in the party room and at the Labor Party conference, but we come into this Parliament and stand united. Everybody knows that. It has been part of the Labor Party platform since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
Here we go again. Whenever the Liberal Party is in opposition, it gives us the story that it is the party of conscience and that its members can speak freely. Perhaps the member for South Perth will give the Parliament a talk or two on the reality of speaking freely within the ranks of the Liberal Party. Where were the conscience votes when it was in government? Where were they? I looked under the table and in the corner, but I could not see any conscience votes on the Liberal side of the Parliament. The Labor Party in Parliament works according to certain rules. On important questions of life and death, such as abortion on the one side and euthanasia on the other, the Labor Party allows a conscience vote because, on those issues, we do not think it appropriate to straitjacket the consciences of people. However, on other issues, the Labor Party quite openly says that its members stand united in this Parliament. We have our debates in the party room and at the Labor Party conference, but we come into this Parliament and stand united. Everybody knows that. It has been part of the Labor Party platform since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
The Labor Party in Parliament works according to certain rules. On important questions of life and death, such as abortion on the one side and euthanasia on the other, the Labor Party allows a conscience vote because, on those issues, we do not think it appropriate to straitjacket the consciences of people. However, on other issues, the Labor Party quite openly says that its members stand united in this Parliament. We have our debates in the party room and at the Labor Party conference, but we come into this Parliament and stand united. Everybody knows that. It has been part of the Labor Party platform since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
The Liberal Party wants to be united but, under its current complexion, its leader is incapable of providing that leadership.
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