Will of electorate not reflected in new Parliament

Anna Pha

The Murdoch media has told its readers that it was an "emphatic 
election victory". Labor lost seats and the Democrats were almost 
wiped out. A Christian fundamentalist Family First candidate is 
running neck and neck with the Greens and the Democrats for a 
Senate seat in South Australia and for one in Victoria against 
Labor and Greens. The Prime Minister John Howard has good reason 
to be jubilant. It is an important victory for the extreme right 
of politics.

An examination of the voting figures, however, shows that overall 
there was not a mass swing away from Labor to the Liberal or 
National Party.

Howard's success is more a result of the skewed single member 
constituency electoral system, the return of One Nation voters to 
the Liberals and the decimation of the Democrats.

House of Representatives

While there are variations between electorates, nationally the 
ALP's percentage of primary votes (before preferences are 
counted) increased from 37.8% in 2001 to 38.2% in 2004. (These 
figures are not final, as counting of postal and absentee votes 
continues.)

The Coalition parties also increased their share of the primary 
vote from 42.7% to 46.2%.

The combined primary vote for the major parties was around 84%, a 
significant increase from the 80% received in 2001. This marks a 
reversal in the trend towards voters looking beyond the two-party 
system in the Lower House.

The Democrats were the main losers — crashing from 5.41% to 
1.17% — with a decrease in vote for most other smaller parties 
and independents.

In such a situation the Greens did extremely well to increase 
their vote to 6.94% (from 4.96% in 2001). From anecdotal evidence 
it appears that the Greens might have polled even higher were it 
not for the lies and scare-mongering of the major parties, such 
as the Labor leaflet suggesting that "if you vote 1 Greens and 2 
Labor — your second preference will never be counted", implying 
that voting for a Green candidate would help the Liberals.

As before the election, the Coalition will have complete control 
of the House of Representatives with between 83 and 88 seats (up 
from 81 in 2001) out of 150, despite the fact that less than half 
the electorate voted for them.

Labor, despite increasing its proportion of the vote, will lose 
seats, to give it between 58 and 63 seats (down from 65).

The Lower House is solely based on single member electorates 
which prevents smaller parties from gaining representation. Under 
a more democratic proportional system the Greens might be 
entitled to between five and ten seats.

Senate

In the Senate, voters were much more prepared to support smaller 
parties, with the major parties receiving just under 80 percent. 
Senators are elected from states and territories on a 
proportional system combined with preferences. Hence the Senate 
better represents the political reality.

This has in past elections created a situation where the ruling 
party has not had a majority but depended on independents, One 
Nation, Democrats, and other smaller parties to pass legislation.

Forty of the 76 seats were up for election. In the old Senate the 
Coalition had 34 seats and Labor 28, the Democrats 7 and Greens 2 
with independents and other smaller parties 5. The Coalition 
looks certain of 38 seats, Labor 26, the Democrats 4 and Greens 
3, with five more still to be decided.

The Coalition is running close in one of the seats, which would 
give it an absolute majority. Even if it does not win that seat, 
it will still be able to rely on the Family First representative 
(if elected). The Government may also get the support of several 
right-wing Democrat Senators to push through privatisation and 
union-bashing legislation.

As in the Lower House, the Labor vote has risen — at this point 
in counting the increase is 1.32% giving it 35.35% and the 
Coalition 43.3% (up 3.77%). The increase in the Labor vote did 
not materialise in an increase in seats. The Greens increased 
their vote from 4.38% to 7.52% while the Democrats fell from 
7.25% to 2.05%.

The major parties poured millions of taxpayer and corporate (and 
trade union in the case of Labor) dollars into what has become an 
industry in itself — market testing electorates and different 
social and economic groups, marketing leaders and policies, how 
to bribe voters, how to sell their lies, etc. The Liberals were 
more successful on this occasion.

Electoral reform

The need for reform of the House of Representatives to a 
proportional system is pressing.

Howard has plans to carry out his own "reforms", not to make 
Parliament more democratic, but to enshrine the two-party system. 
He would like to destroy the Senate as a House that can block 
legislation and set up committees to inquire into legislation and 
other matters. This is bound to become an important issue.

It can be stopped by starting to campaign for real progressive 
electoral changes now, and fighting his agenda.