Electoral (Redistribution Commission) and Another Act Amendment Bill 2015

Introduced the bill arguing that Queensland's electoral system has not been reviewed in 30 years despite EARC recommending seven-yearly reviews, and that the doubling of Queensland's population necessitates empowering an independent body to consider additional seats and increased large-electorate weightage.

“We are simply empowering an independent body, in the way envisaged by EARC back in its 1986 recommendation, to look at this again 30 years on and to make a decision as to how Queenslanders are best represented in this parliament.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as a return to gerrymander, arguing it was never taken to an election, lacked public consultation, and would undermine one vote, one value while Queenslanders want the government focused on jobs.

“I stand up for the people of Queensland and with the people of Queensland to oppose the return of a gerrymander from the bad days of Joh.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill as a committee member, citing evidence heard from rural and Indigenous communities about inadequate representation and the vast expansion of rural electorates since 1986.

“The reality is that if you do not support this bill you are saying that the people in regional and rural areas do not have the same access and representation.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as a disgraceful attempt to diminish democracy by increasing malapportionment, arguing it would make a rural vote worth over four times a city vote and that the LNP's motive was to change the rules to win elections.

“I cannot and will not say to the voters of Mount Coot-tha who put me here, 'Your vote is worth a quarter of the vote of another Queenslander.'”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill as Leader of the Opposition, arguing the electoral system established by the Fitzgerald-EARC process included a seven-yearly review recommendation that was never implemented, and that population doubling with no increase in seats has condemned rural Queensland to lesser representation.

“If we do not do this tonight, we will suffer the consequences somewhere down the line in unrealistic, disproportionate representation in certain regions of this state.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as chair of the examining committee, arguing there was no groundswell of public support, no guarantee the bill would increase seats, and that increasing the weightage would erode one vote, one value and return to the Joh era.

“Effectively, this bill is as useful as an ashtray in a motorbike. I reject the bill.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill as a committee member, arguing it would ensure proper representation for rural and Indigenous Queenslanders who face immense distances to access their MP, and that it implements the unfulfilled EARC recommendation for periodic review of seat numbers.

“If we do not adopt this bill tonight, the ability for people in rural and remote Queensland to have fair and equal access to their representative is going to continue to diminish over the ensuing years.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as Premier, arguing it was never taken to an election, amounts to an attempt to bring back the gerrymander, and that the government should be focused on jobs rather than creating more politicians.

“We have clearly seen an attempt to bring back Joh's gerrymander in this state. Each and every one of them should be totally and utterly ashamed.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill arguing that Queensland's sparsely populated geography means weighting is essential for equality of representation, and that without this reform rural electorates will become unmanageably large.

“More resources can never be a substitute for representation. Rural weighting ensures reasonably sized and manageable electorates.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill arguing that Queenslanders have long memories of the gerrymander, that no justification has been provided beyond electoral geography, and that a higher priority should be ensuring parliament reflects Queensland's diversity.

“Do we really want to tell the voters of Everton or Clayfield or Aspley or Mansfield that their vote is worth less than those who live in Warrego or the Southern Downs?”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill from firsthand experience representing the third largest electorate in Queensland, arguing that one member now does the work of four former members and that constituents face seven-hour drives to see their MP.

“I ask the question: would the residents of Brisbane tolerate it if they had to drive seven hours to see their local member face to face?”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill on the fundamental principle of one vote, one value, arguing that advances in communication technology since the 1990s make increased weightage unnecessary and that the bill smacks of wanting the old gerrymander back.

“People vote, not trees or acres of land, but those opposite want to return to bad old days where square kilometres of land count in lieu of voters and people.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill arguing that his electorate of 327,000 square kilometres with 57 schools, 26 police stations and 39 communities is impossible to adequately represent under current arrangements, and that the continual expansion of large seats was never EARC's intention.

“Could you imagine asking a constituent in Brisbane to travel to Dalby or to Kingaroy to see their local member?”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as an attempt to resurrect the Bjelke-Petersen gerrymander, arguing it would disenfranchise the majority of Queensland voters and that the government should be bringing forward sound rural policies instead.

“This bill will grant the electoral Redistribution Commission the power to allow an electorate with a size of over 100,000 square kilometres to exceed the 10 per cent limit of the electoral voter quota by four per cent.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill arguing that three rural seats were abolished and relocated to Brisbane in the last redistribution, that 89 seats have remained unchanged for 30 years despite massive population growth, and that without this reform rural Queensland will continue to lose representation.

“If this bill is not supported tonight, we are probably going to see five seats abolished again in rural and regional Queensland.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as a desperate attempt by the opposition to manipulate the electoral system, arguing that while large electorates deserve extra support, this bill is not the right approach and Queenslanders do not want more politicians.

“You can dress it up and call it what you want; it is still a gerrymander.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Passionately supported the bill arguing that without increased representation, investment will continue to flow to city areas at the expense of rural Queensland, and that the personal toll of representing a 570,000 square kilometre electorate with no mobile coverage is unsustainable.

“If we do not do anything about it, like with this bill tonight, it is going to get worse. It is not my electorate we are talking about, it is the state.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill arguing that no case has been made for why the current commission is inadequate, that Queensland needs better government rather than more politicians, and that the bill is a grab at power.

“What the people of Queensland do not need is more politicians. They need better government, which this current Palaszczuk Labor government has delivered, is delivering and will continue to deliver.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill arguing that Labor members are blinded by ancient bigotry, and that the bill offers a rare opportunity during the upcoming redistribution to make things easier for people in rural and Western Queensland.

“We have a rare opportunity in this state, because of a redistribution that starts in February, to, just by a little bit, make things a little easier for people who live in rural and Western Queensland.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill as a moderate and incremental approach to contemporary democratic challenges, arguing that Labor members have a grudging tolerance for the existing two per cent weightage and are unfaithful to the Fitzgerald-EARC principles they claim to uphold.

“The members opposite like to bathe in the warm glow of Fitzgerald and EARC when it suits them, but when it comes to sticking to the points that were made in that committee's report they are untruthful and unfaithful to their supposed commitment.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill despite representing the most remote electorate in Queensland, arguing that weightage is undemocratic and the thin edge of the wedge, and that the solution is better electoral resources and staff rather than more politicians or greater weightage.

“The way to address the problem of representation for remote regions is not to have more members of parliament, and it is certainly not to have a greater weightage as proposed in the bill; the way to improve the capacity of a member to service a remote region is to improve electoral resources and to increase electoral staff.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill on historical democratic principles, arguing that malapportionment has always been a backwards step for democracy and that Queenslanders in rural areas do not want an unfair advantage from the rules.

“Why should the opinions of voters in Longreach carry more weight than those in Logan Village?”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as a desperate attempt to resurrect the Bjelke-Petersen gerrymander, arguing that the Goss government ended electoral rorting and that the LNP wants to put the notion of one vote, one value to the sword.

“I cannot believe that in my lifetime I am going to have to stand in this parliament and defend the basic principle of one vote, one value.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill arguing that Queensland's population has more than doubled since 1986 yet representation has not increased, drawing an analogy to class sizes and hospital demand to argue that more representatives are needed.

“If a schoolteacher had 26 children in their class that would be okay. What if that teacher had 52 children in their class? Would it still be acceptable to have one schoolteacher?”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as taking Queensland back to the days when electoral malapportionment allowed one party to rule with minority support, arguing it would disenfranchise the rapidly growing populations of South-East Queensland.

“If the system it seeks to reintroduce became entrenched, it would inevitably lead to perverse electoral, political and public administration outcomes of the type that were common in the 1980s.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Supported the bill arguing that sooner or later the number of politicians must increase because constituents deserve proper representation, and that the debate should be about the number of constituents rather than the number of politicians.

“This bill should not be about the number of politicians; it should be about the number of constituents.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard

Opposed the bill as Deputy Premier, arguing the bill is fundamentally about increasing weightage which would distort democracy, that EARC never recommended reviewing the weightage, and that any increase would be the thin edge of the wedge towards pre-Fitzgerald voting.

“It is absolutely imperative that we ensure that all Queenslanders' voices are equal in this place and that we deliver fairness and equality to all Queenslanders not because of where they live, but because we are all Queenslanders.”— 2015-10-28View Hansard