Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

When the member for Eden-Monaro closes his trap for just a short while he will understand the implications of this legislation. The CLP have been trounced time and time again by blackfellas in the bush. That is what this legislation is about—crude politics. The government will try and disenfranchise anyone who they do not believe votes for them. Why are they doing it to people in the jails? Because they know that historically people in jail who get to vote do not vote for them. Why are they doing it to Indigenous Australians? Because they know historically Indigenous Australians do not vote for them.

We should not be under any illusion as to what this is about. This is a crude political exercise to try and maximise the Liberal Party vote by disenfranchising Australians. This legislation seeks to disenfranchise people who have a right to be enrolled so that they do not get to register and do not get to vote on polling day. The government should be ashamed of itself.

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