Opposition Leader Rebecca White needs to follow through on her previous support for the Electoral Reform Bill and commit to not indulging in the Greens’ political games when the Bill is debated today.
Debate on the Bill today provides the opportunity for the new laws to be in place for the Legislative Council elections in May, which is important for the good conduct of those elections.
Ms White has previously stated on the public record that she supports that approach and that the public consultation period must be allowed to take its course and all feedback to be considered.
Yet this week David O’Byrne indicated that Labor was actively considering siding with the Greens to amend the Bill.
Ms White must step in and ensure that Labor honours her commitment to not play political games and override the ongoing public consultation process.
Further public consultation on the broader and more complex aspects of Electoral Reform is continuing until 15 April.
The recent decision of the High Court is highly relevant to several aspects of the Review into Tasmania’s Electoral Act and associated laws.
An addendum to the Interim Report has been prepared and publicly released addressing this issue, and it is important that stakeholders and the community have an opportunity to consider the High Court’s decision and have their say.