Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

This Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters report, Civics and electoral education, has been a long time coming. I recall that in the joint standing committee’s inquiry into the 1993 report, former senator Meg Lees, the then Deputy Leader of the Australian Democrats, was calling for a much upgraded program with respect to civics education broadly. It is an issue in this country—it is probably an issue in all democracies. It ties back to the general sense of civic participation in the community at large. It is difficult, depending on the circumstances of individuals—the families they come from, the communities they live in—for people to engage with and get interested in and excited about the issues of civics participation. Any inquiry which would come to this table would recognise that civics is tied back to general issues of participation in the community at large. That of course includes an understanding of history, legal studies, social studies and environmental studies. It has to be part of an integrated education program.

I have been a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters since 1996. I welcome this committee report, and I welcome the fact that it is a unanimous report. The report concentrated on three main sectors: young Australians, Indigenous Australians and migrants. At the heart of any inquiry like this is a recognition that it has two fundamental purposes: the first is an understanding of our system and a desire and an ability to participate in the system in the broadest political sense, not just in the narrow representative sense; and the second is to make sure that people fully participate in our electoral processes. The report will be worth nothing unless the government of the day puts commitment behind it and provides the money and resources to make sure it happens; otherwise it will be just an expression of parliamentary opinion. It really does need the government, either this one or the next one, to respond actively and to make a long-term commitment in this area.

Sometimes governments withdraw from these areas and do not appreciate the consequences until much later. I recall that, as part of the budget cuts in 1996, the Indigenous program of electoral education and encouragement in the civics area broadly was slashed. The consequence was a negative one. Unlike Senator Fierravanti-Wells, I think the remarks of the shadow minister in the House about the early closing of the rolls were relevant to this report because part of civics education is to encourage people to enrol and to participate. But very little can be done to change human nature. Essentially, closing the rolls early has made it more likely that more Australians will not be enfranchised for the federal election this year.

There is a sharp division of opinion between the government and the non-government parties on this matter. I have sat through four inquiries into four federal elections and at none of them did I feel that the integrity of the roll was at risk as a result of closing of the rolls seven days after the writs had been issued. I based my opinion on the evidence that was before me and on the opinion of the AEC principally; however, government members took issue with that. So now the rolls will close early, and we have switched to an address based system rather than a divisionally based system. There is a danger that, compared with the last election, many hundreds of thousands more Australians will not vote this time. That means that not just the AEC but all political parties must do their very best to get the vote out—to get Australians enrolled. In concluding, I confirm my support for the recommendations of the report, and I again urge the government to put its back behind the report in the sense of money, resources and political will. I hope it will have a long-term beneficial effect on civics education and electoral education for young Australians, Indigenous Australians and migrants. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.