James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are blessed that we live in one of the oldest and most successful democracies in the world. Our good fortune has come not through chance but rather off the back of over a century's worth of people, paid and unpaid, who have worked to make it so through blood, sweat and tears. Our democracy works because countless Australians have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms inherent in democracy. But as society has changed, so should our electoral system be fine-tuned. Now is the time for immediate action by parliament on certain changes to uphold the integrity of our elections.

Our system relies on openness and transparency that is upheld in the expression of voter choice and intent. Elections should be not only fair, open and transparent but be seen to be so. We must always work to fine-tune our electoral system. That's why I'm calling to introduce optional preferential voting to replace the current system of compulsory preferential voting, and to introduce the Robson rotation of candidate names on ballot papers in federal elections for the House of Representatives. These two simple measures will enhance the democratic process by promoting fairness and simplifying the electoral system. They will promote voter choice and uphold voter intent and participation by minimising and diminishing vote informalities. Both these recommendations were part of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' final report into the conduct of the 2019 federal election, a report that was tabled by me, as chair of the committee, in December last year. These are sensible reforms which can be made easily to strengthen the integrity of our voting process.

In the 2019 election there was a rise in informal votes across the country, with New South Wales having the highest rate of vote informality. JSCEM identified that there are multiple factors behind this, with the main ones being having English as a second language, the number of candidates on the ballot paper and the proximity to state and territory elections which have different voting systems. Many informal votes in federal elections arise from the failure to preference or by preferencing correctly. The current system is complex, can be confused with other voting systems in Australia and requires simplification. Introducing optional preferential voting to replace the existing system of full or compulsory preferential voting will simplify the voting process. Not only will it reduce voter confusion; it will further enhance voter choice.

Under optional preferential voting, voters have greater choice at the ballot box. Voters have the right to choose whether or not they wish to preference other candidates. They definitely should not be compelled to allocate a vote to every candidate, especially those they fundamentally disagree with. However, voters would still have the option to preference. They may preference two or more other candidates they like or they may preference all of them. Any argument that suggests optional preferential voting leads to wasted votes is false and undermines the principle of voter determination in electoral outcomes. Optional preferential voting puts the power in the voters' hands to vote for their preferred candidate and optimise their ability to choose who they vote for.

If a voter would rather have their vote exhaust because their preferred candidate has lost then that is their choice. The right to not vote for a candidate that a voter does not support or does not know is fundamental to a voter's right to take part in elections, upholding the notion that the voter is the primary determinant of who they vote for and the electoral outcome. To compel a voter not only is unfair but undermines the integrity of our system. Optional preferential voting is a win for voter choice and a win for democracy.

Another reform that will substantially enhance our electoral process for the better is to introduce the Robson rotation for House of Representatives ballot papers. The Robson rotation is a mechanism by which the order of candidates' names is randomised from one ballot paper to another. This measure will increase fairness in the electoral process, as it will reduce the advantage for candidates who draw favourable positions on the ballot paper. The existing system, where one ballot paper is used, enables candidates who have drawn more favourable positions to benefit from down-the-line, linear or donkey votes.

Variations of the Robson rotation are currently used in both Tasmania and the ACT. It is an effective, fair model of printing ballot papers. Introducing a system that prints ballot papers in batches, which allows for all candidates to feature equally in various positions on the ballot paper, will diminish any real or perceived advantage obtained from such positions. The randomisation of the order that candidates appear on ballot papers promotes fairness in the democratic process, as it removes the advantages associated with candidates being positioned in one of the more favourable positions.

Favourable positions are those that are traditionally advantageous if drawn in the ballot. They include the top, the bottom and the middle positions on the ballot paper. These are the positions that candidates and their campaign managers get excited about. These changes to the ballot papers will increase the fairness of the electoral system, by removing any real or perceived advantage, as all candidates will feature in these positions. This will more evenly distribute between all candidates the benefit from down-the-ballot, linear or donkey votes. Stamping out potential advantages in ballot paper positioning is crucial for upholding the integrity of our elections. As such, it's an advantage that could easily be the difference in who is elected.

The final measure that I believe is essential to fair and open elections is voter ID. Voter ID laws are needed to empower voters, increase transparency, establish further safeguards and create consistency. We line up to show our IDs at pubs and to get into the election. To be honest, most people already show ID when they attend to vote. It is an expectation from voters and an expectation from those who already participate in the democratic process. Voter ID will boost public confidence in election outcomes, stop multiple-voters and safeguard our democracy against electoral fraud. The argument from across the chamber suggests that there is no issue. It would appear that Labor and the Greens are running a protection racket to protect voter fraud, and that is sad. We currently do not know the extent to which electoral fraud exists.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those who are listening at home may hear the wittering away from opposition senators—opposition senators who wish to run a protection racket for voter fraud, and that is very sad. The proposal that the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters brought forward in its recommendation was that, if a voter is unable to present a valid ID on polling day, another enrolled voter with an ID can attest to their identity, or the voter can cast a declaration vote. The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has recommended that nearly all forms of ID can be accepted, from a Medicare card to a bill from a service provider. This will ensure that eligible voters will never be denied the opportunity to cast their vote. Declaration votes are already cast when a voter attends a polling booth in another state or is assigned to a neighbouring electorate. These are sensible reforms that will ensure the integrity of our elections. Having voter ID, having optional preferential voting and having the Robson rotation for House of Representatives ballot papers will ensure that our electoral system is fine-tuned, that it is improved, and that it is sanctified and protected for future elections. So it is time to deliver on optional preferential voting, the Robson rotation and voter ID laws.

Deputy President, I come from Queensland, and Queensland has been inundated with rain. We welcome rain. Just down the road from where I live, there is a community called Inglewood. Most of Inglewood spent last night on high ground away from their homes. The mayor of the local council there, Lawrence Springborg, was with his community throughout the night. I want to pay tribute to the community of Inglewood and the other communities in the broader Darling Downs who have been impacted by the recent rains. Indeed, photos have been sent to me of my own place. My house is luckily on a rise, but all the roads to it are under at least a metre of water. I'd like to thank all those who have been helping fellow members of the community across the Southern Downs and across the Darling Downs for the work they have done to help us get through this inundation. But the good news is that our dams are full.