Grievance Debate

Local Government Elections

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (15:11): I rise today to talk about local government elections once again. Many people throughout South Australia will start to receive their voter packs, as all local government election voting is done by postal vote these days. If they did not arrive in letterboxes last night, they should be there over the next few days.

Last week, I rose to discuss a matter in the Onkaparinga council election, where mayoral candidate Erin Thompson was censored by the Electoral Commission of South Australia in using such words as 'fresh start' and 'a clean slate' as the ambitions that she had for the City of Onkaparinga should she be elected as mayor of the city where I live and which many constituents of Mawson also call home.

I wrote to Mick Sherry, Electoral Commissioner of South Australia. He has written back claiming that the commission is enforcing a regulation that candidates cannot comment on decisions or actions that have been made or taken by the council, or on the decisions or actions of past or present members of council. I have had a chat to a few people on both sides of this chamber, including some Independents and some people in the upper house as well.

I do not think that anyone in this place, when this was put through back in 1999/2000, intended that those who were standing for office could not say that they wanted to bring a fresh start to a council area, or a clean slate, or provide better outcomes for the people of the area. It was probably designed to stop people saying defamatory things, but certainly not things that they were offering up as someone who had never been on council. Erin Thompson is the only one of five candidates who has not been on the Onkaparinga council before or who is currently on the council. She is a cleanskin, if you like, and that is where she sees her point of difference. It is not being critical of the current council: it is just offering up a point of difference.

I will be writing back to Mr Sherry to ask him whether he has correctly interpreted this regulation because I do not think he has and I do not think the public think he has. If you listen to Will Goodings and David Penberthy of FIVEaa, they are outraged by this and their listeners are outraged by this, as are the people of Onkaparinga I have spoken to. This is just censorship in a society where we absolutely celebrate free speech and the ability for each and every citizen of this state to say what they feel as long as it is not defamatory and as long as it is not hate speech. As Will and Dave mentioned on radio this morning, to say that you are coming in with a clean slate or a fresh start is hardly hate speech. I hope that we can rectify this.

I did ask Mick Sherry, Electoral Commissioner of South Australia, to issue an apology to Erin Thompson and also to post out the original profile that she wanted posted out with the Electoral Commission information that will be going into people's letterboxes this week. So stay tuned: this is not over yet.

Last night, I was at a candidates forum—there have been a few of these around Onkaparinga as well as, I am sure, other council areas around South Australia—and it was terrific to see people come out and listen to those who are putting up their hand for a pretty difficult job, whether it is running for mayor or running to be a councillor. I was very encouraged by a group of young people there who have put up their hand to be councillors: Luke Wagner, Gem Robertson and Saskia Gerhardy.

They all did a magnificent job in their allocated five minutes, talking about what their vision was. In particular, I handed Saskia the Sir Douglas Mawson Environment Award—which I instigated as the member for Mawson—in our electorate for the student at Willunga Primary School who showed the most dedication and most interest in our environment. It was great to see Saskia get that award 10 years ago and now, at the age of 22, she is putting up her hand to serve her community and her environment on Onkaparinga council.

I want to wish everyone who is running for council, who is running for mayor or for positions right around this state, all the very best for the upcoming elections. As I said, it is terrific to see people who are prepared to put their time, their efforts and their passion on the line to represent their local areas.