Electoral Law in the State of Western Australia: An Overview Third edition Electoral Law in the State of Western Australia: An Overview Harry C.J. Phillips This book celebrates 100 years of the Electoral Act 1907 Western Australian Electoral Commission Perth 2008 (Third edition 2013) First published in 2008 by the Western Australian Electoral Commission. Third edition 2013. © Western Australian Electoral Commission This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher. Bibliography ISBN 978 0 9804173 4 0 This book celebrates 100 years of the Electoral Act 1907. Printed by State Law Publisher HARRY C.J. PHILLIPS Contents Foreword................................................................................................... xi Acknowledgments ...................................................................................... xii Abbreviations............................................................................................. xii Chapter One: The Colonial Legacy........................................................... 1 The Colonial Franchise ..................................................................... 1 The Colonial Voting System............................................................. 5 Constituency Boundaries................................................................... 6 Administration of the Electoral Provisions ....................................... 9 Chapter Two: The Franchise ..................................................................... 11 The Abolition of Plural Voting in 1904 ............................................ 11 Women’s Rights to Vote and to Sit in Parliament ............................ 12 Aboriginal Peoples’ Suffrage ............................................................ 15 Legislative Council Franchise Changes ............................................ 17 Voting Rights for 18 Year Olds ........................................................ 19 Legal and Other Disqualifications..................................................... 20 Informal Voting (Invalid or Spoiled Votes)...................................... 23 Chapter Three: Electoral Boundaries ........................................................ 24 The Redistribution of 1904 ............................................................... 24 The Redistribution of 1911 and the 1913 Quest ............................... 26 Zoning: Legislative Vote Weighting from 1923 ............................... 28 1947 Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Ratio of 1:2 .................... 30 1965: Increase in Assembly Numbers/Dual Member Provinces in Council.......................................................................................... 31 1987: Defined Metropolitan Boundary and Legislative Council Regions ......................................................................................... 33 WA Inc Royal Commission and Commission on Government (COG) ........................................................................................... 34 The Gallop – McGinty Drive ............................................................ 36 Action by the Clerk of the Parliaments ............................................. 38 The Bills Return ................................................................................ 39 v WA Electoral Law Overview Chapter Four: Plurality (First Past the Post) and the Alternative (Preference) Vote in the Legislative Assembly .................................... 42 The Federal Quest for the Alternative Vote ...................................... 42 Optional Preference Voting (Alternative Vote) in 1907 ................... 43 Compulsory Preferences in 1911 ...................................................... 45 Labor’s Stance on the Preference Vote ............................................. 46 The 1980s .......................................................................................... 49 WA Inc Royal Commission (1992) and the Commission on Government (COG) 1995 ............................................................. 51 Chapter Five: The Legislative Council and Proportional Representation. 57 Plurality, Provinces and Preferences................................................. 57 The Quest for Proportional Representation (PR) .............................. 58 Legislative Assembly Select Committee (1907)............................... 59 The 1912 Gawler Proportional Representation Motion and Machinery Bill .............................................................................. 61 Edith Cowan and Proportional Representation ................................. 64 Labor’s Push for PR in the Legislative Council................................ 65 National Matt Stephens and Regional PR ......................................... 67 The Introduction of PR for the Legislative Council in 1987............. 68 Royal Commission and Commission on Government ...................... 70 Robson Rotation and the Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method ....... 72 Proportional Representation and Local Government ........................ 73 Electoral Understanding of PR-STV................................................. 74 How to Vote Cards............................................................................ 76 Chapter Six: Postal and Absentee Voting and Compulsory Enrolment and Voting............................................................................................. 78 Early Enrolment Provisions and a Select Committee Review .......... 78 The Electoral Act 1907 Enrolment Provisions.................................. 80 Postal Voting ..................................................................................... 81 Absentee Voting and Mobile Polling Booths.................................... 83 Compulsory Enrolment ..................................................................... 85 Compulsory Voting........................................................................... 88 COG and Public Support for Compulsory Voting ............................ 91 Saturday Voting and Voting Hours................................................... 95 vi HARRY C.J. PHILLIPS Chapter Seven: Political Party Donations, Registration and Public Funding ................................................................................................. 97 Electoral Expenses ............................................................................ 97 Political Donations ............................................................................ 99 Party Registration.............................................................................. 100 Public Funding .................................................................................. 102 Chapter Eight: Referendums, Term of Government, By-elections........... 105 Referendum ....................................................................................... 105 Secession Referendum (s) 1933........................................................ 106 Other Referendum Proposals ............................................................ 107 Daylight Saving Referendums .......................................................... 109 Retail Trading Hours Referendum.................................................... 111 Term of Parliament ........................................................................... 113 By-elections....................................................................................... 115 Chapter Nine: Court of Disputed Returns and Higher Courts................ 118 The Court of Disputed Returns ...................................................... 118 1905/1906: Holmes/Angwin ...................................................... 119 1906: Brown/Carson................................................................... 119 1908: Carson/O’Brien ................................................................ 120 1908: Gregory/Buzacott ............................................................. 120 1916: Hamersley/McCabe.......................................................... 120 1934: Franklin/George ............................................................... 121 1944: Boyle/Telfer ..................................................................... 121 1947: Taplin/Hegney.................................................................. 121 1962: Owen/Dunn/Metcalfe....................................................... 122 1977: Bridge/Ridge/Rees ........................................................... 122 1983: Herzfeld/Troy/Coates....................................................... 123 1989: J Clifford (Whitford); JB Read (Mandurah); J Hodge (Melville); EA Ridgway (Swan Hills); BD McLean (Murray); PF Harrop (Whitford); BA Cooper (Wanneroo); ONB Oliver (Swan Hills); KD Hames (Perth); TJ Tyzack (Dianella).................................. 124 Higher Courts ................................................................................. 125 McKinlay v The Commonwealth (1975) ................................... 125 Wilsmore v Western Australia (1979–1982).............................. 126 Burke v Western Australia (1982).............................................. 126 McGinty & Ors v State of Western Australia (1996)................. 127 vii WA Electoral Law Overview Marquet v Attorney General of Western Australia (2002)......... 129 Attorney-General (McGinty)