NSW PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY RESEARCH SERVICE The Political Representation of Ethnic and Racial Minorities by Karina Anthony Briefing Paper 3/06 RELATED PUBLICATIONS • The Politics of Difference: The Political Representation of Ethnic and Racial Minorities by Gareth Griffith, NSW Parliamentary Library Briefing Paper No 029/95 • Electoral Systems and MMP in New Zealand by Gareth Griffith, NSW Parliamentary Library Occasional Paper No 4 (September 1996) ISSN 1325-4456 ISBN 0 7313 1794 7 March 2006 © 2006 Except to the extent of the uses permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written consent from the Librarian, New South Wales Parliamentary Library, other than by Members of the New South Wales Parliament in the course of their official duties. The Political Representation of Ethnic and Racial Minorities by Karina Anthony NSW PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY RESEARCH SERVICE David Clune (MA, PhD, Dip Lib), Manager..............................................(02) 9230 2484 Gareth Griffith (BSc (Econ) (Hons), LLB (Hons), PhD), Senior Research Officer, Politics and Government / Law .........................(02) 9230 2356 Karina Anthony (BA (Hons), LLB (Hons)), Research Officer, Law.........(02) 9230 2003 Talina Drabsch (BA, LLB (Hons)), Research Officer, Law ......................(02) 9230 2768 Lenny Roth (BCom, LLB), Research Officer, Law ...................................(02) 9230 3085 Stewart Smith (BSc (Hons), MELGL), Research Officer, Environment ...(02) 9230 2798 John Wilkinson (MA, PhD), Research Officer, Economics.......................(02) 9230 2006 Should Members or their staff require further information about this publication please contact the author. Information about Research Publications can be found on the Internet at: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/WEB_FEED/PHWebContent.nsf/PHPages/LibraryPublications Advice on legislation or legal policy issues contained in this paper is provided for use in parliamentary debate and for related parliamentary purposes. This paper is not professional legal opinion. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 1 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 2. DEFINITIONS................................................................................................ 2 2.1 Ethnic Minority .............................................................................................. 2 2.2 Racial Minority............................................................................................... 2 2.3 Issues and Limitations.................................................................................... 2 2.4 Common Abbreviations ................................................................................. 4 3. MULTICULTURAL AUSTRALIA.............................................................. 5 3.1 What is Multiculturalism?............................................................................. 5 3.2 Data based on 2001 Census figures............................................................... 8 3.2.1 Indigenous Australians 8 3.2.2 Non-Indigenous Australians 8 3.3 Ethnic / ATSI Population Data ..................................................................... 9 3.4 Ethnic / ATSI Minorities in Australian Parliaments ................................ 12 3.5 Ethnicity and Voting Behaviour.................................................................. 14 3.5.1 Ethnic Electorates 14 3.5.2 Linking the Ethnic Vote to Socio-Demographics 16 3.5.3 The Influence of Birthplace upon Blue and Lower-White Collar Voting 18 4. BARRIERS TO REPRESENTATION....................................................... 21 4.1 Threshold barriers........................................................................................ 21 4.1.1 The Right to Vote: an Indigenous Barrier 21 4.1.2 Education and Systems of Government 21 4.1.3 The Right to Vote: Implications for Ethnic Minorities 22 4.1.3.1 Citizenship 4.1.3.2 Permanent Residency 4.1.3.3 Dual Nationality 4.2 Structural Barriers....................................................................................... 26 4.2.1 Preselection 26 4.2.2 Electoral systems 27 4.2.2.1 Preferential Voting Systems 4.2.2.2 Preferential Proportional Representation 4.2.2.3 District Magnitude, the Quota and Proportional Representation 4.2.2.4 Mixed Member Proportional Representation - the New Zealand Experience 5. THEORIES OF REPRESENTATION....................................................... 38 5.1 Microcosmic representation ........................................................................ 38 5.1.1 Legitimacy / Authenticity 39 5.1.2 Responsiveness: An Erroneous Assumption? 40 5.1.3 Symbolism and the Effect on Other Members 41 5.1.4 Equality 42 5.1.5 Some Criticisms 43 5.2 Normative Theories of Representation....................................................... 44 5.2.1 Trustee (Independent) 44 5.2.2 Mandate (Delegate) 45 5.3 Case Study: Ethnic MPs and Ethnic Electorates....................................... 46 5.3.1 Ethnic Interventions 46 5.3.2 Ethnic Reference Ratio 48 5.3.3 Ethnic Distance Ratio 48 5.3.4 Non-Ethnic Electorates 49 5.3.5 Summary 49 6. SECURING REPRESENTATION............................................................. 50 6.1 Direct Input – Indigenous Options ............................................................. 50 6.1.1 An ATSI Assembly 50 6.1.2 Dedicated Seats 51 6.1.2.1 Pro-Dedicated Seats 6.1.2.2 Anti-Dedicated Seats 6.2 Indirect Input................................................................................................ 54 6.2.1 Political parties – Affirmative Action 54 6.2.2 Peak Bodies 56 6.2.2.1 Theoretical Objections – Public Choice Theory 6.2.2.2 Ethnic Organisations 6.2.2.3 The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) 7. Addressing Minority Representation: International Examples............... 62 7.1 Redistricting in the United States ............................................................... 62 7.2 Indigenous Groups: A Third Order of Government?............................... 64 7.2.1 New Zealand - an update 65 7.2.2 Norway – an Indigenous Assembly 67 9. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 69 Appendix A Breakdown of Ethnic / ATSI Members by Parliament Appendix B Ethnic MPs and their electorates: size of NESB populations Appendix C Timeline of Significant Events in Indigenous Electoral History The Political Representation of Ethnic and Racial Minorities EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper is an update of The Politics of Difference: The Political Representation of Ethnic and Racial Minorities by Gareth Griffith, NSW Parliamentary Library Briefing Paper No 029/95. It discusses the political representation of ethnic and racial minorities in Australia. An overview of the issues surrounding the definition of an ‘ethnic minority’ is provided in section two (pp 2-4), with particular attention given to the fluidity of ethnicity as a concept, and an explanation of its usage in public policy terms. The potential for strong community reactions to the term is also touched upon in relation to the introduction of the Community Relations Commission and Principles of Multiculturalism Act 2000. The multicultural nature of Australian society forms the backdrop against which this paper is written. Section three (pp 5-20) considers the meaning of ‘multiculturalism’ – in terms of official government policy – and briefly outlines some common critiques. The majority of the section consists of statistical data based on the 2001 National Census. Following a general overview of the Australian population, a more detailed look is taken at indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, including their presence in Australian parliaments. A final section on ethnicity and voting behaviour is included. It focuses on the extent to which voters favour candidates of their own ethnicity. The link between ethnic voting and socio- demographic indicators is also examined. Section four (pp 21-38) surveys the barriers that must be overcome by ethnic and racial minorities before participation in formal representative bodies is possible. The right to vote, the right to stand for election, and the ability to understand the system itself, are identified as threshold barriers. The effect of permanent residency and dual nationality on participation is discussed with reference to ethnic minorities. Discussion of structural barriers such as systems of preselection, and the influence of electoral systems on the electoral fortunes of minority groups follows. An examination of New Zealand’s electoral system – Mixed Member Proportional – is included for the purpose of comparison. Theoretical approaches to representation are reviewed in section five under the headings of ‘Microcosmic Representation’ (pp 39-45) and ‘Normative Theories of Representation’ (pp 45-50). The section concludes with a case study concerning the ethnicity of Members of Parliament (MPs) and constituents, and the influence – if any – of those characteristics upon the representative style of MPs at parliamentary level. Alternatives to parliamentary representation are introduced in section six, including direct and indirect options. Proposals include an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Assembly (p 51), dedicated