Tuesday, 31 October 2023

Electoral reform

Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:22): Yesterday the Electoral Matters Committee –

The SPEAKER: Order! Who is your question to?

Tim READ: My question is to the Premier. Yesterday the Electoral Matters Committee heard more evidence that MPs who use Glenn Druery to get themselves elected in the upper house then repay him by employing him using their parliamentary funding. This arrangement is fraudulent because he is not required to do any work while being paid. The arrangement is also corrupt because he obliges MPs to always vote against group voting reform. Victoria is the only remaining state that has not eliminated this anti-democratic and corrupt distortion of the will of voters. Given the latest revelations, will the government now commit to eliminating group voting?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:23): I thank the member for Brunswick for his question. I will not be drawn on some of the allegations that he made in the preamble to his question. There are independent bodies that are responsible for investigating those claims that he has made, and it is up to those independent bodies to investigate should they consider it appropriate to do so.

In terms of the question around the consideration of group voting tickets, as the member has identified, the Electoral Matters Committee is currently doing its work, as it does after every election – it does an inquiry into the previous election. That committee is not due to report until towards the middle of next year, and we will consider its recommendations at that time.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Brunswick on a supplementary question, and I remind members that matters before committees are highly confidential.

Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:24): Given the Commonwealth and other states, most recently WA, have done away with this obviously corrupt system, is it not a fact that the government could introduce legislation to eliminate group voting now?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:25): I have really nothing further to add to this supplementary question that I did not state in my answer to the member’s substantive question, and I would suggest if the member wishes to make a submission to the committee’s inquiry he should do so.

The SPEAKER: I acknowledge the former member for Bayswater and minister Heidi Victoria in the gallery.