Electoral (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill
21/02/2013
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (16:16): Today I will speak very briefly in support of the second reading of the Electoral (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2012. First, I thank Dr Jenni Newton-Farrelly from our parliamentary library for her report on this. It has certainly been very useful to put into context how South Australia compares with the commonwealth and interstate electoral systems.
As Dignity for Disability views it, this bill seeks to improve some aspects of our electoral system, and I believe they are positive changes for small political parties and Independents, in particular when it comes to features such as postal voting. I see that some of the clauses in this bill seek to include as many eligible voters as possible by the use of the electoral system. On this issue I ask whether, in drafting the bill, the government has compared South Australia to Victoria and New South Wales when it comes to provision for inclusion of people with disabilities in electoral processes.
Whilst we are having trouble tracking down hard facts and figures, anecdotal evidence certainly suggests that both physical and cultural barriers prevent many eligible voters with disabilities from actually voting. Whilst this does not relate specifically to this bill, I also look forward to the parliament debating electoral funding issues in the coming months. It is high time we moved it to a fairer and more accountable process with political donations and electoral funding so that small parties and Independents can compete on a level playing field with the old parties in our two-party dominated system.
Who knows, maybe we will get really revolutionary, or even evolutionary, enough to move into multimember electorates that tend to provide the opportunity for a more diverse range of people to populate the parliament, rather than the current majority, which tends to be dominated by middle-aged men from the two old parties.
Members interjecting:
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: I am about to explain myself—calm down, alright? Whilst there are many middle-aged men in this parliament, who do a fine job—
The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: And women.
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: And women, indeed. I am painting a picture. I am trying to make a point!
The Hon. G.E. Gago interjecting:
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Even when there is only about one sitting there, they are still troublesome. Whilst there are many middle-aged men and women in this parliament doing a fine job, I think it would certainly be a positive feature of our legislature if I, for example, were not the only very young female in our parliament or indeed the only wheelchair user. Anyway, I commend the second reading of this bill to the house and look forward to further discussion in committee.
