As South Australians prepare for the upcoming State Election, the Electoral Reform Society of South Australia (ERSSA) has been asking the major political parties to outline their policies on electoral reform.
So far, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) stands out for having already published a comprehensive and detailed reform agenda. The policy appears in the Labor Platform under Part 10: Delivering Quality Government – and it has caught the attention, and approval, of electoral reform advocates.
Labor’s Promising Reform Commitments
The Electoral Reform Society has commended the ALP for its thoughtful approach, particularly in the section dealing with the Legislative Council. The final point in that section reads:
[36] Labor will continue to support a bicameral parliamentary system but will reform it to:
- investigate four-year terms for the Legislative Council following a full review of the Victorian model;
- investigate simultaneous Legislative Council and House of Assembly elections; and
- entrench proportional representation for the Legislative Council in the Constitution.
These commitments suggest a clear intention to modernise parliamentary processes while maintaining the checks and balances of a bicameral system. Entrenching proportional representation in the Constitution would represent a significant safeguard for democratic fairness in South Australia’s upper house.
The Premier’s Contradiction
However, despite what the Labor Platform promises, the Premier’s own public position tells a very different story.
In a media release dated 24 November, Premier Mike Rann announced his intention to hold a referendum to abolish the Legislative Council altogether. His words were striking:
“I will be using the next term of Government to point out how ridiculous it is in an age where Governments expect industry to modernise, reform and become more productive, that our Parliament remains submerged in a 19th Century bicameral system that is inefficient, cumbersome and not as accountable as it should be.
I believe Australia is over-governed and that there is no reason for 15 Houses of Parliament to exist in a nation the size of ours.”
This statement stands in direct contradiction to Labor’s official policy, which reaffirms support for a bicameral system and seeks to improve it – not abolish it.
For many observers, this raises a critical question: who actually determines Labor’s position on parliamentary reform – the Party, or the Premier?
A Question of Consistency
Mr Deane Crabb, Secretary of the Electoral Reform Society, has expressed concern about this apparent inconsistency:
“We would like to support what Labor will do, but this is being undermined by the Premier who is going against his Party’s Platform.”
Crabb continued:
“Why is the Labor Platform suggesting some significant improvements, while the Premier wants the Legislative Council scrapped? Who has the final say on what a re-elected Labor Government will do?”
It’s a fair question – and one that goes to the heart of democratic accountability. If voters are to judge a government’s reform record, they deserve to know whether its platform reflects its actual intentions.
Comments on the ALP Electoral Reform Policy (2006)
Despite this political tension, the Electoral Reform Society has provided a balanced assessment of the ALP’s electoral reform platform. Overall, it commends Labor for the level of detail and breadth of consideration across key reform areas.
What the Society Supports
The Society has given its full support to several of Labor’s stated commitments, including:
- Entrenching proportional representation for the Legislative Council in the Constitution [36].
- Retaining proportional representation as the voting method for local government elections [128].
These commitments align with the Society’s long-standing goal of ensuring that every vote carries equal weight and that representation reflects the diversity of voter preferences.
Where Labor Falls Short
However, the Society remains critical of Labor’s ongoing support for preferential voting in single-member electorates for the House of Assembly [46].
Labor’s own platform asserts that governments should be “democratically elected” [8] and that each citizen should have “a vote of equal value to the vote of each other citizen” [10]. Yet, as the Society argues, neither of these ideals can truly be achieved under the current single-member system, which often produces distorted outcomes.
Positive Areas of Future Inquiry
Looking ahead, the Society has welcomed Labor’s willingness to investigate several important reforms in the next parliamentary term, including:
- Four-year terms for the Legislative Council [36].
- Simultaneous elections for both houses of Parliament [36].
- Optional preferential voting for both houses [49].
- Preferential “above the line” voting for upper house ballots, in addition to existing “below the line” options [50].
- Public funding provisions modeled on the federal system [54].
- Lowering the voting age to 16 years [56].
Each of these proposals has the potential to make South Australia’s electoral system more inclusive, efficient, and representative.
Gaps and Missed Opportunities
One notable omission in the Labor Platform, the Society observes, is any direct reference to the 2003 Constitutional Convention, a major initiative of the first Rann Labor Government.
While some of the Convention’s key outcomes – such as exploring optional preferential voting, four-year upper house terms, and discussion of citizen-initiated referenda – are touched on indirectly, there is no explicit acknowledgement of the event or its recommendations.
Interestingly, the ALP platform firmly opposes citizen-initiated referenda in any form [18], while still calling for broader community involvement in constitutional reform – a somewhat contradictory stance.
Stronger Stance on Local Government
In contrast, Labor’s policy on local government elections is described as bold and clear.
The party commits to:
- Making local government voting compulsory;
- Abolishing the property franchise (which currently allows non-resident property owners to vote);
- Restricting the vote to residents of the council area; and
- Ensuring that each person votes only once [128].
These measures would significantly strengthen democratic participation and equality at the local level.
The Electoral Reform Society concludes that, while Labor’s 2006 electoral reform policy is detailed and encouraging, it is undermined by conflicting signals from the Premier himself.
Mr Rann’s proposed referendum on abolishing the Legislative Council stands in stark contrast to his party’s commitment to preserve and improve it. This inconsistency makes it difficult for reform advocates — and voters — to know which direction a re-elected Labor Government would truly take.
Nevertheless, the Premier’s announcement does at least guarantee that electoral reform will remain on the political agenda if Labor returns to office.
Overall Assessment: 6/10
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