Queensland Parliamentary Reforms

Queensland's once honorable Parliamentary System is these days (forgive the pun) deeply rooted, in a great big set of political concrete boots. Queensland’s lack of Senate makes the House of Representitives in Queensland way to authoritarian for a democratic modern society.

The current issue of four year fixed terms is just another example of what can go wrong, to be honest, the Government really do not need to have a referendum on the issue, they could push this through with no help from the public just like Council Amalgamations and water fluoridation. But this would be a much louder noise and they know it.

We need to set two year fixed terms for State and Local Government; we would find more better quality representatives in a shorter amount of time and we should put no limit to the years a representative can serve, if they turn out sub-standard, you only have to put up with them for two years.

We need to move away from this unicameral parliamentary system.
The function once performed by the upper house or Senate is now just a rubber stamp at the Governors General residence over tea. Who appoints the Governor General?

We need to have 5 elected members to replace the GG’s role and form the ‘peoples counsel’. The peoples Counsel then provide truancy to the House on behalf of the people.

We need to retire the two party preferred or preferential voting systems and go back to one vote one value. This needs to be done in conjunction with removing compulsory voting. Compulsory voting removes a person’s right not to vote, which is in itself discriminatory and can lead to the lower socio-economic getting fines when they can’t really afford them. Not to mention informal voting is 6% and that is considered a healthy swing in Government.

The Preferential voting system coupled with compulsory voting is what is distorting the vote here in Queensland and it has to change. People are less attracted to major parties than ever before as more and more people feel they are being offered the choice of the devil or the deep blue sea. If we were to adopt one vote one value non-compulsory voting the parties would be seen as an organised alternative.

We need to demand change in a world of change. We need our Government to see it needs to change too.