ELECTORAL REFORM IN AUSTRALIA

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 15 November 1918, Page 1

ELECTORAL REFORM IN AUSTRALIA

.. Bill which seeks to introduce preferential voting in future elections to the Commonwealth House of Representatives is la.go.y a consolidating measure, as the major portion of its 220 clauses deals with machinery acd formal alterations. Tile main objects aic to consolidate the law-s which deal with every election, to make provision for ututcnniiy between the States, to establish the pi'-iirip.e of preferential voting for the Hc.Uce of Representatives, involving oonipul-tio-ypreferences. and to restore, with certain niocuficat.oils and new safeguards, the postal voting, which was abolished in 1911. The postal provisions apply to those who are notwitluu 15 miles distant front a polling place on tho day of polling; those who are travelling on thai, day, and are not able to get to a polling place to vote; and to those who are prevented from attendance at a polling booth by illness, or, in tho cases of women" upi>roachiug maternity. The Bill preserves absent, voting on polling day throughout the Commonwealth, and also voting before registrars, and postal voting may therefore be regarded aa covering the gap.* The Senate vote ivillaining as before, the present, system being untouched, but in the case of voting for candidates for the House of tives, the usual preference number must be placed on the ballot paper opposite the names <>f all candidates, the ordiuarv provisions of tlio counting and allotting *of prsferonoe votrn by the electoral authorities being provided.

Tla; Hon. Mr Glynn, in moving the .seoona reading, declared fiat in (lie main the BiH furnished a standard of electoral nnifonnitv for Commonwealth and States, xeiaorcd the postal vote, permitted absentee voiiu". and established preferential voting for {h i . < Hons* of Representatives. Legislative aad ndminisl native uniformity ehoukl c-sist between Com-.

monwealth and States, and some alteration of the Constitution might be necessary to complete the scheme. Much, however,* ha« beon done without euch alteration in the United States and in Germany, a nation winch dealt with mechanism rather than morale. - There would be one central realisation office, and the came officials for everythingunless a State wished to conduct iter own elections. Efficient provision was madi2 m the Bill to ensure restoration to the ro;l of any Domes left off it in error. The elector woud make a. declaration that he was entitled to vote, and would ihen be permitted to do to. Subsequently there would be inquiry at> to the accuracy of his declaration. -Asked whether the States would adopt, the provision for uniformity, the Minister said the Bill would give them the lead for which he thought they were waiting. He believed thoy would ell adopt it. Referring to parties, he expressed the opinion that a majoritv one party in every electoral division .would not bo oonsiefcent with representative govenimont. In 1917 the Federal rolls were affected to the extent of 1,1/0.000 additions removals, and corrections!. The process was contiguous. Under the old postal voting, which was abolished in I9n a voter had 1 to declare his belief that h* would not be within a certain distance of a polling place on election day. The Bii' would require him to declare that, as a matter or fact, he would noi be within such passengers, and other* outside the Commonwealth would be included amongst absentees, who could vote in "this 25* i„ taci , E would be furnished for some 77,000 electors who hitherto had been ty 3 * ' ctJT ® le - a,vs £ve of-tie btatea afforded means for absentee voting Proportional Representation, the Minhter went on to say. was often obtained as « result or the single-seat system, which, .however, required to be protected by preferential voting. If pre-election were still practised, it would not neutralise the effect of prefo.ential voting. The syiSem eimply meant that an elector would be obliged to declare in advance his choice in each of all the poscontingencies. Preferential voting would be compulsory. The Bill did not dial with Proportional ficpresentation for the Senato, but so much attention was beins S? vcl ;. the question thai ho thought ho ahouJd »j a few words about it. At the list flection one party had returned 18 seuatos», and the other party none, though the propor proportion would have been twelve end sax. If Proportional Representation bad been introduced for the Senate, the next General Election might be ddayed. It might be necessary to hold the election for tie House or Representatives and ihe election for the Senate on different dates. There were, however, several ways of carrying oat oil election in ihe Proportional Representation system. The reason whv the Government were not applying that "system to the Senate was because they had not promised to do so at the election. The matter had then been left open. v It might be open to question whether there should not be preferential marking of ballot papei-s for tho Sanate.