Ingram Forces Vote On Fixed Terms

Denouncement of the Government for using parliamentary reform as a political stunt

By David Radford - 10th October 2002 - Back to News

The Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, today denounced the Government for using parliamentary reform as a political stunt in the lead up to a possible election and criticised all political parties for not supporting fixed four-year election dates.

"Parliamentary reform is too important an issue to be treated as a stunt in the lead up to an election," Mr Ingram said.

"The Government’s commitment to genuine parliamentary reform has, in my view, been severely undermined by its reported plan to use opposition to their Parliamentary Reform Bill as a trigger for calling an early election.

"The Government made no genuine effort to negotiate with Opposition and the National parties, but instead they introduced a bill that they knew was doomed to fail."

Last night, Mr Ingram moved a motion to divide the Bill into two separate bills, one containing the provisions relating to fixed four-year elections and the other dealing with the remainder of the Upper House reform package.

"The Liberal and Labor parties say they agree that fixed four-year election dates are the right thing to do in the interest of all Victorians."

"My proposal to split the Government’s Reform Bill was about giving the fixed four-year term part of the bill a chance to succeed.

"It was also about getting an important, stand alone item from our Charter through this parliament, even when the rest of the reform package faced certain defeat.

"And most importantly it was about bringing to Victorians a more stable and efficient system of Government.

"Most Victorians find the endless speculation on election times tedious and irrelevant.

"Worse protracted speculation on election dates is bad for business and undermines effective government.

"The only purpose that election speculation serves is to feed the media pack who are quite frankly bored to tears by the reams of spin and propaganda that they are forced to deal with on a daily basis.

"Regardless of all the propaganda flying around about four-year terms, last night’s rejection of my proposal to split the Bill by the Government and the major parties demonstrates they do not genuinely support fixed election dates.

"The inconsistency of political parties on the issue of fixed parliamentary terms is outrageous.

"Fixed four-year election dates has almost unanimous support - the people want it, business want it, the public service need it to function efficiently, and politicians privately say they support it.

"But when the acid test is put on them, the political parties will direct their members to vote against the best interests of the people they are supposed to represent," Mr Ingram concluded.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com