Australian Politics - Federal Electoral System
Australian has always been seen as a vibrant, progressive and economically stable country whose democratic principles serve as model for other countries. Even during the colonial times under the British Empire, Australia strived to impose egalitarianism not only in political governance but civic affairs as well. Its long history of democratic innovation, particularly in terms of electoral procedures (Reilly, 2004) can be traced back to an electoral system that has been in existence since the mid-1800s. Australia can indeed boast of several firsts in terms of electoral reforms that have been adopted by other nations throughout the decades (Farnsworth, 2007):The secret ballot (voter's choice is made secretly without coercion) was first introduced in the Australian colonies in 1856 and all adult men and women over the age of 21 had the vote by 1908;By the end of the twentieth century, Australia could boast an electoral system that ranks among the fairest in the world;The Federal Parliament legislated to introduce the preferential voting (refers to an elector being required to indicate an order of preference for candidates on the ballot paper) system in the 1919 general election, although the new system was first used at a by-el
Federal elections in Australia are usually held every three years and the Australian Prime Minister can request for a general election from the Governor-General before the end of the three-year term. Universal manhood suffrage, candidacy and voting for women, the use of ballot papers to record votes, the secret ballot, voting by mail, Hare-Clark proportional representation, and a range of innovations in electoral administration are just some of the areas in which Australia was an international pioneer in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Under the majority system, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of votes to be elected (Electoral Council of Australia, 2007). The Australian federal government is comprised of two co-equal chambers in the Parliament - the House of Representative and the Senate. Members of the House of Representatives seek re-election each time there is a federal election. Although there are detractors to the "democratic in form and substance" of the Australian federal electoral system, there are certain aspects of the system that needs to be improved. The picture varies in the States from no disqualification in South Australia to all prisoners being disqualified from voting in State elections in Tasmania. These proposals and decisions have taken Australia out of step with international developments. Senators are elected for a six-year term and in an ordinary general election only half the senators face the voters. Electoral legislation in Australia is covered under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, whose latest amendment was issued in 2007 prior to the November 2007 elections. In turn, the negative factors can be considered as areas for improvement and it is clear that Australia is one country who will always strive to improve and make things better in order to truly uphold democratic principles and values. (Sawer, 2004)"Despite some negative factors in Australia's federal electoral system, the plus side still outweighs the negative ones. The most recent federal election was held on 24 November 2007. ection in 1918; andProportional voting was introduced for Senate elections in 1949, heralding a new political era where minor parties such as the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) and the Australian Democrats could wield the balance of power in the upper house.
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