Rann Forgets the Constitutional Convention

South Australia’s Forgotten Reform: The Constitutional Convention Fades from View

As the 50th Parliament of South Australia draws to a close, the legacy of the 2003 Constitutional Convention – once hailed as the most significant gathering for democratic reform in decades – appears destined to vanish into political oblivion.

Despite the enthusiasm and commitment shown by delegates at the time, most of the Convention’s outcomes remain unimplemented. Two reports have been tabled in Parliament, and five Bills have been introduced to give legislative effect to its recommendations. Yet, almost three years on, the reform agenda born out of that unique event sits idle, gathering dust.

Reform Lost in Political Silence

Since the Convention, no real action has been taken by either side of politics. The only notable comment has been Premier Mike Rann’s announcement proposing a referendum to abolish the Legislative Council – a position that directly contradicts one of the Convention’s key conclusions, which affirmed the value of a bicameral system.

Beyond that, both the Government and the Opposition have remained largely silent on constitutional reform.

“It’s like they are ignoring it and hoping it will go away,” said Mr Graham Pratt, President of the Electoral Reform Society of South Australia (ERSSA).

This lack of follow-through, he suggested, undermines the spirit of civic engagement that the Convention was meant to inspire.

A Missed Opportunity for Modern Democracy

The 2003 Rann Forgets the Constitutional Convention, convened in August of that year, was a landmark initiative originally championed by the Hon. Peter Lewis MP, then Speaker of the House of Assembly. It brought together a broad cross-section of South Australians – community representatives, experts, and elected members – to discuss how the State’s parliamentary system could be made more democratic, transparent, and representative.

Although held under the first Rann Labor Government, the Convention was not a partisan exercise. Rather, it reflected a shared desire among participants to bring South Australia’s democratic institutions into the 21st century.

Now, with Parliament on the verge of prorogation, the five reform Bills that emerged from that process remain on the House of Assembly Notice Paper. If they are not debated or acted upon before Parliament rises, they will lapse, effectively erasing years of discussion, deliberation, and hope for structural reform.

Call for Government Accountability

The Electoral Reform Society is urging the State Government to publicly state its position on the entire range of parliamentary reforms recommended by the 2003 Convention.

“The people of South Australia have the right to know where the Government and Opposition parties stand on these issues in the lead-up to the State Election,” Mr Pratt said.

The Society argues that ignoring the Convention’s recommendations would amount to squandering one of the most inclusive and constructive exercises in public policy development South Australia has seen in decades.

What the Convention Recommended

The Constitutional Convention produced a thoughtful and wide-ranging set of recommendations designed to make South Australian democracy more responsive and representative. Among its key proposals were:

• Reducing Upper House terms from eight years to four years, aligning them with Lower House terms;
• Enhancing the independence of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, to ensure greater impartiality in parliamentary proceedings;
• Encouraging citizen involvement in the parliamentary process through new participatory mechanisms;
• Introducing optional preferential voting, allowing voters to mark preferences only for candidates they genuinely support;
• Establishing multi-member electorates, which would improve proportionality and voter choice.

These proposals were intended not merely as technical adjustments but as structural improvements to reinvigorate democratic practice in South Australia. They sought to balance efficiency with fairness, giving citizens a stronger voice and restoring trust in political institutions.

A Reform Movement Without Momentum

What makes the current inaction particularly disappointing is that the Convention represented a rare moment of civic optimism. It was one of the few times in modern South Australian history when ordinary citizens, not just politicians, were directly engaged in shaping the constitutional future of their State.

The event was hailed at the time as a major milestone – a demonstration that political systems could evolve through public discussion rather than partisan decree.

To see those recommendations now languishing without response is, as Mr Pratt observed, a disservice not only to the delegates who participated but also to the broader democratic spirit of South Australia.

The Danger of Letting Reform Die Quietly

The fate of the Convention’s Bills underscores a broader challenge faced by democratic reform movements: without sustained political will, even the most thoughtful recommendations can simply fade away. Once Parliament is prorogued, the Bills will disappear from the agenda, and the momentum created by the 2003 Convention may be lost for good.

That outcome would be particularly ironic, given that the Convention itself was designed to make parliamentary processes more accountable and enduring.

If governments treat such initiatives as symbolic gestures rather than vehicles for genuine reform, they risk breeding public cynicism – the very problem these reforms were meant to address.

Keeping the Reform Spirit Alive

Despite the setbacks, the Electoral Reform Society remains committed to keeping the Convention’s ideas alive.

“The Society wants to see these conventions become an ongoing part of our democratic system in South Australia,” Mr Pratt said. “Another should be held in the lead-up to the 2010 referendum.”

Regular conventions, the Society argues, would allow for continuous public engagement in constitutional development, ensuring that reform remains an evolving conversation rather than a one-off event.

Such gatherings could also help rebuild trust between citizens and Parliament – a relationship that depends on openness, participation, and accountability.

A Legacy Worth Reviving

The 2003 Constitutional Convention represented one of the few times in recent history that South Australians were invited to rethink their system of government. It produced practical, balanced, and achievable reforms that could have strengthened democracy in the State.

Yet without action from political leaders, those ideas are now at risk of being forgotten – lost in the procedural shuffle of an expiring Parliament.

If South Australia is to maintain its proud reputation as a pioneer in democratic innovation, it cannot afford to let the work of the Convention be buried by silence and inaction.

As the next election approaches, voters should ask their representatives a simple question – one that echoes Mr Pratt’s call:

What happened to the promise of reform, and who will bring it back?