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PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA |
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Tel
+613 9589 1802 |
Tel
+61429176725 |
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2016-10-19 |
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Proposals for change to our electoral system: Background Paper by NSW Senator Arthur Gietzelt ALP Spokesperson on Administrative Services and Home Affairs July 1981 |
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| Page |
Contents |
| 01 | Electoral
Reform
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| 04 |
The current system |
| 10 |
Votes into seats |
| 22 |
Preferential voting
and informality |
| 26 |
Associated reforms |
| 30 |
Representative
democracy - how to achieve it |
| 35 |
Overseas and
Australian experience with PR |
| 47 |
Model systems |
| 59 |
Recommendations |
| 64 |
Implementation |
| 67 |
Appendix A |
| 84 |
Appendix B |
| 93 |
Bibliography |
In the early 1980s, the then Federal Opposition Leader, Hon. Bill Hayden, appeared on Australian television stating that he believed there was value in considering the use of a proportional representation system for electing MHRs. The above 1981 Background Paper by Senator Arthur Gietzelt mentions on its Page 66 support by the Proportional Representation Society of Australia for entrenchment of proportional representation for the election of members of the House of Representatives against opportunistic tampering or repeal, but there is no mention in the paper of the importance and significance of the existing entrenchment in Section 24 of the Australian Constitution of the requirement that MHRs be 'directly elected by the people', which fortunately excludes party list PR. Publications by three former PRSA Officers; Dr Kenneth Grigg, Mr Edwin Haber and Mr Jack Wright; are included in the bibliography above. |
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