ELECTORAL (CONTENTS OF WRIT) AMENDMENT BILL

Introduction and First Reading

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (10:55): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Electoral Act 1985. Read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (10:55): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This is a very simple measure. The intention of the bill is to bring forward the closing date for the nomination of candidates to one week after the writ is issued by the Governor. Members would recall that, in the March election of this year, many people missed out on being able to cast a vote and it was not the fault of the Electoral Commission, which, under Kay Mousley, did a fantastic job. I believe that the current time allowed for registering as a candidate (14 days) is unnecessarily long. If you do not know as a potential candidate that there is an election coming up under our fixed term arrangement, then you would probably have to question whether that person was suitable to be a candidate, anyway.

Under the current arrangement, in effect, you are allowed only nine business days for ballot papers to be printed and sent out. We are seeing an increase in the number of people using the postal vote system—and probably not for the reasons originally intended, but I do not have a problem if that is convenient to people. The main thing is that they exercise their democratic right.

This amendment to the Electoral Act brings forward the date on which candidates need to register by seven days. As I say, if you do not know when the election is and you are a last minute candidate, then I think you have a problem, anyway. This measure is fairly straightforward. I think it is a logical, commonsense approach and would help ensure that the Electoral Commission could do its job and would also reduce the likelihood that citizens would miss out on their democratic right to vote because of technical reasons related to the challenge in getting out postal votes, etc., to them within the limited time frame. I commend this bill to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.