Let me begin this post by saying I find it worrying that this is the second time in a week I find myself blogging about growing concerns I have about Australian democracy (see my previous post). However, I think we all are entitled to feel a little nervous about how the Liberal Party is using their majority in the Senate.
On Tueday 20 June 2006, the Senate passed the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2006 (read the Bill here and the Explanatory Memorandum here) without it gaining much media attention. I looked at the Bill only after reading an article by Alan Ramsey in The Sydney Morning Herald, "So much for democratic prinicples". Ramsey is not wrong when he says:
It is a bill to make it harder for people to vote, and easier for corporations and the wealthy to donate money to political parties in secret. It is about increasing - by 1400 per cent - taxpayer subsidies on political donations. It is about the Coalition keeping control of the Senate.
The Bill contains provisions that will:
- increase a number of the disclosure thresholds to above $10,000;
- reduce the close of rolls period to provide that, in general, the roll will close at 8:00pm on the third working day after the issue of the writ. However, persons who are not on the roll (with two exceptions, set out below) will not be added to the roll in the period between 8.00pm on the day of the issue of the writ and polling day. The exceptions are for persons who are not on the roll who are either: 17 year olds who will turn 18 between the day the writ is issued and polling day; or who will be granted citizenship between the issue of the writ and polling day. Persons in these categories can apply for enrolment up until the close of rolls at 8.00pm three working days after the day on which the writ is issued;
- introduce a proof of identity requirement for people enrolling or updating their enrolment by requiring that they provide their driver’s licence number on their enrolment application. If they do not have a driver’s licence, the elector can show a prescribed identity document to a person who is in a prescribed class of electors and who can attest to the identity of the applicant. If an elector does not have a driver’s licence or a prescribed identity document, then they must have their enrolment application signed by two referees who are not related to the applicant, who have known the applicant for at least one month and who must provide their driver’s licence number;
- establish a proof of identity requirement for provisional voting;
- require that paid electoral advertising on the internet be authorised in the same manner as printed electoral advertisements;
- require that third parties (people other than registered political parties, candidates and associated entities) must complete annual disclosure returns if they incurred expenditure for a political purpose or received gifts over the disclosure threshold which enabled them to incur expenditure for a political purpose during a financial year;
- increase nomination deposits for election candidates to $500 for candidates for the House of Representatives and $1,000 for Senate candidates with the threshold for returning the nomination deposit remaining at four percent;
- amend the voting entitlement provisions so that all prisoners serving a sentence of full-time detention will not be entitled to vote, but may remain on the roll, or if not enrolled, apply for enrolment. Those serving alternative sentences such as periodic or home detention, as well as those serving a non-custodial sentence or released on parole, will still be eligible to enrol and vote;
- amend the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to increase the level of tax-deductible contributions, whether from an individual or corporation, to political parties and independent candidates from $100 to $1,500 in any income year.
A number of these provisions are disturbing. But rather than launch into a tirade against this Bill, I am simply going to refer you to the same speech Alan Ramsey did in his article, the speech of Senator Robert Ray. Read the speech here. You really should.
