Proportional Representation in Western Australia Its Principles, History, Outcomes and Education Harry C.J. Phillips WESTERN AUSTRALIAN Electoral Commission Table of Contents FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1 VOTING SYSTEMS, ELECTORAL LAW AND REPRESENTATION ............... 1 1.1 Representation.............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Electoral law (Its components)..................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Types of Proportional Representation.......................................................................................... 3 (a) The list system...................................................................................................................... 4 (b) The Single Transferable Vote (STV) Form of PR................................................................ 4 CHAPTER 2 THE BEGINNINGS OF THE PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION QUEST IN AUSTRALIA............................................................................................. 7 2.1 Letter to the Inquirer (1870) ........................................................................................................ 7 2.2 The idealists in the Colonies ........................................................................................................ 9 (a) Catherine Helen Spence ....................................................................................................... 10 (b) Edward Nanson .................................................................................................................... 10 (c) Thomas and Henry Ashworth............................................................................................... 11 (d) Andrew Inglis Clark ............................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Proportional representation in the Commonwealth...................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 3 MOTIONS FOR PROPORTIONAL REPRESENATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA................................................................................................................. 15 3.1 Preferential Voting in 1907.......................................................................................................... 15 3.2 The 1912 Gawler Proportional Representation Motion and Bill.................................................. 17 (a) The advocacy deficit ............................................................................................................ 19 (b) A PR Machinery Bill............................................................................................................ 21 CHAPTER 4 THE SLOW PUSH FOR PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION....................... 23 4.1 The Proportional Representation Winding Track......................................................................... 23 4.2 Edith Cowan and Proportional Representation ............................................................................ 24 4.3 The 1923 Proportional Representation Amendment Proposal ..................................................... 25 4.4 T.R. Ashworth and the Peden Royal Commission on the Constitution of the Commonwealth ............................................................................................................................ 26 4.5 Senate PR from 1949 ................................................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 5 PRESSURE FOR PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA................................................................................................................. 31 5.1 The Claughton Proportional Representation and Other Electoral Matters Proposal .................... 31 5.2 The Hetherington Labor Party Proportional Representation Bill................................................. 32 5.3 The Jamieson Labor Proportional Representation Bill................................................................. 33 5.4 Stephens’ Initial Quest for Proportional Representation.............................................................. 34 5.5 Stephens and Proportional Representation in 1984...................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 6 ARTHUR TONKIN AND OTHERS ON PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION IN BURKE’S FIRST TERM (1983–1985) ............................ 39 6.1 The 1983 Quest for Proportional Representation in the Legislative Council............................... 39 (a) Practical considerations........................................................................................................ 41 (b) Regional considerations ....................................................................................................... 42 (c) Concerns about complexity .................................................................................................. 43 6.2 The 1984 Fair Representation Bill ............................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER 7 THE ADOPTION OF PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION FOR THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL......................................... 49 7.1 Mal Bryce replaces Arthur Tonkin as Electoral Reform Minister ............................................... 49 7.2 The Labor Government’s Legislation and Perspective ................................................................ 50 7.3 The Liberal Party Perspective(s) .................................................................................................. 53 7.4 The National Party Perspective .................................................................................................... 55 i CHAPTER 8 THE ‘WA INC’ ROYAL COMMISSION AND THE COMMISSION ON GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVES............................................................................ 59 8.1 The WA Inc Royal Commission Perspective............................................................................... 59 8.2 The Commission on Government and the PR Question............................................................... 60 8.3 Robson Rotation........................................................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER 9 RETENSION AND MODIFICATION OF PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION ................................................................................................... 65 9.1 The 2001 Mining and Pastoral Region and Agricultural Region Result ...................................... 65 9.2 The Miragliotta Monograph......................................................................................................... 66 (a) Inclusive Gregory Method.................................................................................................... 68 (b) The Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method............................................................................ 69 (c) Other Fractional Methods..................................................................................................... 70 9.3 Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method for the Legislative Council and Local Government (2007 only) .............................................................................................................................. 70 9.4 The 2005 One Vote One Value Legislation and Regional PR Modifications .............................. 72 CHAPTER 10 KEY CONSIDERATIONS OF PR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA........................... 75 10.1 An intelligent electorate ............................................................................................................... 75 10.2 Representation of diverse interests in the Western Australian Legislative Council..................... 78 (a) 1989 – Legislative Council Election .................................................................................... 78 (b) 1993 – Legislative Council Election .................................................................................... 79 (c) 1996 – Legislative Council Election .................................................................................... 80 (d) 2001 – Legislative Council Election .................................................................................... 81 (e) 2005 – Legislative Council Election .................................................................................... 82 (f) 2008 – Legislative Council Election .................................................................................... 83 10.3 Candidate Centred Voting System ............................................................................................... 84 10.4 PR and Women ............................................................................................................................ 87 CHAPTER 11 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS ............................................................................ 91 TABLES Table 1: Proposed Composition of Legislative Council Regions – 1986 .................................................. 52 Table 2: Proposed Composition of Legislative Council Regions – 1987 .................................................. 57 Table 3: Thresholds of Representation for