Voting system swings advantage to major parties
I agree with the views expressed in the opinion piece “The election is just a game of who’d ya rather pick” (Bendigo Advertiser, May 28), but the argument put does not go far enough.
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With respect to the House of Representatives, we had a method for allowing people to avoid giving their preferences to particular parties prior to 1993, but the government changed the rules to make it illega (lsSee Albert Langer and the Neither! Party).
The changes meant that all preferences were allocated and this change benefitted the major parties – the Coalition, Labor and Greens.
Now we have rule changes in the voting for the Senate in the form of optional preferential voting (now illegal for the House of Representatives). This means that not everyone will have their voting preferences exhausted, creating advantage for the major parties.
This undermines democracy, in my humble view, as the vote in the Senate where just 12 individual candidates are required carries a lot less weight in the outcome than does someone who completes the ballot paper by filling in every number.
Whatever happens in this election, I would like to acknowledge the contribution made to parliamentary debate by real people, not career politicians, such people as Ricky Muir, Jacqui Lambie and David Leyonhjelm have done well and I hope they retain their positions.
George Wyatt, Newbridge
Community locked out of Bendigo mine decision-making process
The Woodvale Progress Association wishes to express its absolute disgust at the state government's handling of the recent mining licence transfers.
After campaigning the government to block the transfer of particularly the Woodvale Ponds site, we received email feedback from a senior government official (cc'd to Minister D'Ambrosio and our local MP Jacinta Allan) on April 22 stating “No decision has been made yet”.
In reality, the licence transfer had been approved by Minister D'Ambrosio on April 7, over two weeks prior.
The community was not informed of this decision until May 9, which we understand is outside the time period to appeal the decision via conventional means.
In the meantime, Woodvale and Bendigo communities were fed incorrect information designed to mislead from Minister D'Ambrosio's office, stringing us on with hope that we could influence the decision which had already been made behind closed doors.
Throughout this process we received just one letter back from Jacinta Allan, thanking us for keeping her informed, and requesting we (the community) keep her informed on her government's response and decision.
With an effective local representative this should be the other way around.
We understand Ms Allan is busy with other portfolios, but this shouldn't negate her responsibilities to the local community.
We are feeling very let down by this process.
Brendan Bartlett, president, Woodvale Progress Association Inc
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